Broxton recalled after week of strong offense in minors
The Milwaukee Brewers’ roster roulette wheel continued to spin Tuesday and will do so for the next few days.
Centerfielder Keon Broxton was recalled from Class AAA Colorado Springs after a sevengame stay with that club. He took the roster spot vacated when outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis was designated for assignment on Monday.
Reliever Jeremy Jeffress, reacquired the previous day in a trade with Texas, will not report until Wednesday. When he arrives, a player must be sent out, and rookie centerfielder Lewis Brinson could be in jeopardy now that Broxton is back.
The Brewers expect veteran right-hander Matt Garza to come off the DL on Thursday to start against St. Louis, and a player will be moved out to make room for him as well.
Broxton immediately was placed in the starting lineup in place of Brinson, who is batting .111 (5 for 45) with a .534 OPS in 19 games covering two stints with the Brewers.
"At the start, when we sent him down, we expected Keon to come back, and probably take some of the playing time, and quite frankly, the bulk of the playing time,” manager Craig Counsell said.
“Keon has shown during spots this year he can be impactful for us, and we need impactful players right now. (Broxton) is here right now.
“I don’t think (Brinson) has gotten a start (to his career) yet. We’re talking 50 plate appearances. He’s played five games since he’s been back. I think he’s more comfortable here this time around. The at-bats have been better. He’s going to help us a lot.”
Broxton was in a deep slump when demoted, collecting only three hits in his last 50 at-bats and dropping his overall average to .218 with a .294 OBP and league-high 124 strikeouts in 293 at-bats. But he reached base five times in his first game with the Sky Sox and batted .385 in seven games there with a .500 OBP and .577 slugging percentage, with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI.
“I got in a pretty consistent groove down there,” said Broxton, who walked seven times and struck out eight. “I started to lay off pitches I was swinging at up here and just got back to a nice, simple approach.
“It helped me out to go down and get those games in and work on my game a little bit. I’ll try to come back and help the team. It’s a blessing I was able to come back as fast as I did.”
Broxton said he actually found something “that clicked” during batting practice in Philadelphia the night before he was sent down.
“I just went down and played baseball and did what I know how to do,” he said. “That kind of worked out for me. Everything worked out the way it’s supposed to.”
The day off Monday allows Counsell to come back with lefty Brent Suter on Wednesday against St. Louis, followed by Garza when he comes off the DL. If Zach Davies starts on his fifth day Friday in Tampa Bay, the Brewers will need another starter Saturday.
Manfred visits: Commissioner Rob Manfred, who tries to get around to see as many of the 30 clubs as possible each season, paid a visit to the Brewers and met with the media afterward.
Manfred stopped by earlier to see former commissioner Bud Selig’s new downtown office, two days after presenting Selig with his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y. Manfred noted the pressure to “strike the right tone” in an acceptance speech but said he thought Selig did well.
“I thought he delivered a nice speech; I thought the content was great,” said Manfred, who served as a sounding board as Selig went through 32 drafts. “I thought it was really well done.”
Asked where he would start with Selig’s best accomplishments as commissioner, Manfred immediately cited what he called the “daily double” – labor peace and economic reform.
“If you think about that, that’s a real trick,” Manfred said. “You can take them apart – they’re the same issue. Those two together are really an amazing accomplishment.”
As for what leadership skill he learned most from Selig, Manfred said having patience.
“Problems don’t solve themselves right away,” Manfred said. “Had I not worked with him for so long, I’d probably be more impetuous, which is not a good thing.”