Injuries continue to plague the 2021 Milwaukee Brewers. Between injuries and the COVID IL, the continued game of get a few players back and then losing some continues. Most recently, John Curtiss and Angel Perdomo were sent to the IL and Justin Topa was activated.
It is also worth noting that reliver Josh Hader is expected to be activated off the COVID IL on August 12th. The activation should occur prior to the series finale against the Cubs.
Josh Hader has cleared re-intake testing and is expected to be off the COVID IL for tomorrow’s series finale against the Cubs.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) August 11, 2021
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Now, back to the news regarding Justin Topa.
Topa made his MLB debut at age 29 last season with the Brewers. Although he appeared in just six games and pitched 7.2 innings, there was lots to like about his game. Last year he displayed a sinker that consistently hung out in the upper 90s and a devastating slider to go along with it.
Topa returning should be very exciting news for Brewers fans. He entered the season expecting to play a big part in the bullpen. Since this spring he has been rehabbing his elbow and recently completed a minor league rehab assignment.
During his rehab assignment, Topa appeared on three different minor league teams. He pitched nine total innings and gave up just two earned runs. Given all the recently shuffling’s of the Brewers bullpen, he should expect to get into game action rather quickly.
Now for the bad news.
Recently acquired John Curtiss has been diagnosed with a UCL tear. Curtiss walked off the field with the athletic trainer during Tuesday night’s game. Angel Perdomo additionally has been placed on the IL with a low back strain.
RHP John Curtiss has a torn UCL, Brewers announce.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) August 11, 2021
Both players were placed on the 10 day IL. For Curtiss, no announcement has been made on if he will undergo surgery or further weigh his options. Since joining the Brewers his velocity had been down and his usage rate was higher than normal. He additionally was not having a lot of success on the mound, all of which was not entirely his fault.
Regardless of what happens, this is not an ideal situation for a player that the Brewers traded for at the deadline. For the Brewers, this makes two pitchers within the past two weeks to sustain significant elbow injuries, John Axford being the other. Unlike Axford, Curtiss is young and under club control until the 2026 season, so this likely is not the last we will see of him.
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