These are the players currently sidelined on the injured list for the Milwaukee Brewers.
In recent developments, Jesse Winker has been sidelined with illness for five games but should be back Saturday. Brandon Woodruff was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation; it could be a massive loss for the Brewers. Manager Craig Counsell said he felt it would be a short stay initially, but a proper course of action hadn’t been determined by April 14.
10- to 15- day injured list
Brandon Woodruff, starting pitcher
Injury: Right shoulder inflammationLast played: April 7 (eligible April 22)
The initial expectation was that Woodruff would be back close to his eligible return date, but an update April 14 indicated Woodruff had an MRI and a clear course of action had yet to be charted. Brewers fans will no doubt be holding their breath as they await to hear further word on one of the franchise cornerstones. Woodruff has been lights out through two starts this season, allowing one earned run on seven hits in 11⅓ innings with 12 strikeouts and three walks.
Luis Urías, third base
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Injury: Strained left hamstring
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Last played: March 30 (eligible to return, likely out until early June)
Urías dove into first base in the ninth inning of the 2023 season opener in Wrigley Field and tweaked the hamstring, with manager Craig Counsell indicating his absence would be more on the eight-week end of the six- to eight-week timetable.
“I kind of knew. I had a feeling,” Urías said. “I’ve had enough injuries in my legs to know. And when it happened I was really frustrated. It was bad.”
Urías, who hit a big homer for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic before the season, had a broken hamate bone previously with the Brewers, dealt with COVID-19 in 2020 and endured a quad strain last season.
With Urías out, the team planned to move Brian Anderson from right field to third base on a regular basis and called up Wiemer to fill the resulting outfield void.
Tyrone Taylor, outfielder
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Injury: Right elbow sprain
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Last played: Awaiting 2023 debut (backdated to March 27, eligible to return, likely out for month of April)
He had a platelet-rich plasma injection early in camp and the expectation was he would ultimately miss the first month of the regular season as a result.
On April 7, Counsell revealed that Taylor had a minor setback and had been shut down for the week, with activity to resume throwing in a few days.
With Taylor out, the Brewers initially turned to Anderson in right field, then Wiemer when Anderson had to move to third base.
Adrian Houser, relief pitcher
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Injury: Right groin strain
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Last played: Awaiting 2023 debut (backdated to March 27, eligible to return, likely out until third week of April)
Houser exited his last Cactus League outing Saturday with tightness, an issue that sent him to the IL late last season and also apparently bothered him earlier this spring. Houser threw two innings of his first rehab start with Class AAA Nashville on April 14 and allowed no runs on two hits with two walks. He’ll have another AAA start before his return, targeted for the next homestand (beginning April 21).
Houser had hoped to once again exit camp as a member of the starting rotation, but the off-season signing of Wade Miley essentially relegated him to a bullpen role. Houser posted a 4.05 earned run average and WHIP of 1.20 in four spring outings (two starts) with 10 strikeouts in 6⅔ innings.
60-day injured list
Aaron Ashby, relief pitcher
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Injury: Left shoulder inflammation
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Last played: Awaiting 2023 debut (backdated to March 27, eligible May 26, out until late 2023).
Ashby had arthroscopic surgery on April 7 and will miss most of the season. At best, he’d be back by the season’s home stretch.
Ashby had been hopeful to return by mid-May after the injury issues that occasionally bothered him last season cropped up in the new year, as well. The shoulder inflammation led to a PRP injection, and Counsell said in February that Ashby would miss “significant” time as a result.
He was moved to the 60-day injured list when the Brewers signed pitcher Bennett Sousa.
Justin Wilson, relief pitcher
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Injury: Tommy John surgery
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Last played: Awaiting 2023 debut (backdated to March 27, eligible May 26, likely out until all-star break)
The Brewers signed the 35-year-old knowing that he wouldn’t be available until July or later as he recovers from Tommy John surgery that he had June 3.
Wilson has a long track record of success as a reliever when healthy and over 11 seasons with six teams has compiled a 33-24 record, 3.41 ERA and WHIP of 1.29 while striking out an average of 9.8 batters per nine innings.
“Typically it’s a 12-month, back-to-the-mound-type recovery, so we’re looking at likely July,” general manager Matt Arnold said. “But a long track record of being successful in a lot of different markets, so we like the chance for him to impact our team positively in the second half.”
Wilson was moved to the 60-man injured list when the Brewers added Wiemer to the 40-man roster on April 1.
Jason Alexander, relief pitcher
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Injury: Strained right rotator cuff
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Last played: Awaiting 2023 debut (backdated to March 27, eligible May 26)
Alexander made 11 starts last year but started experiencing the issue in December and January. He likely would have opened the season in Class AAA Nashville.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Brewers injuries during 2023 season: Brandon Woodruff latest
