Brewers call up Phillips
ST. LOUIS - The roster roulette continued Monday for the Milwaukee Brewers as they called up outfielder Brett Phillips from Class AAA Colorado Springs.
The move marked the fourth consecutive day that a player was called up from the minors, following the promotions of relievers Adrian Houser, J.J. Hoover and Taylor Williams. Houser was returned to Class AA Biloxi after pitching in the Brewers’ 3-0 loss to the Cubs at Miller Park on Sunday.
Phillips, 23, gives the Brewers another lefthanded hitter, with outfielder Christian Yelich going on the 10-day dis- abled list Sunday with a strained oblique. His stay could be a short one because the team needs a starting pitcher for the game Wednesday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“We’re going to have a roster that’s going to be in flux for a little while,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We’re going to be switching guys in and out. Brett will be in (the lineup) tomorrow, somewhere, with (Carlos) Martinez pitching.
“We need a starter on Wednesday, so he could be affected by that. We’ve got two games to play (in the meantime), so we’ll see what happens in those two days. For now, I think we have our bullpen in good shape. We thought at this point we could use a position for two days.
“We saw on Day 1, if you can get an extra position player here, it can help you in a game. That had an impact on it, too, when you see the impact it had on Day 1 of the season.”
Counsell referred to the decision to keep first baseman / outfielder Ji-Man Choi at the outset of the season. Choi doubled and scored the decisive run in the 2-1, 12-inning victory in San Diego, then was sent down the next day when reliever Dan Jennings was signed after being released by Tampa Bay.
Considered one of the top prospects in the organization, Phillips was 1 for 7 (triple) in the first four games at Colorado Springs but had drawn seven walks, giving him a .571 on-base percentage.
“It’s always exciting getting the opportunity to come back up to the big leagues,” Phillips said. “To be back up here early, that’s why I didn’t take my demotion in spring training so hard. I knew situations like this happens. It’s baseball; injuries happen.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be up here, but it’s a matter of giving what I can off the bench to help this team. I treated it as if I made the bigleague team, so when I got up here I’d be ready.”
Outfielder Keon Broxton was off to a great start with the Sky Sox (.385/.500/ .615) but the Brewers likely wanted a left-handed hitter with Yelich out and the Cardinals starting right-handed pitchers in this series.
“The guys that were at the end of camp are going to be a part of this thing as we go forward,” Counsell said. “It may not be consistent and the whole time, but they’re going to be part of this.
“(Brent) Suter was in this position last year and you have to prepare yourself to be out of your suitcase a little bit, so to speak, and know that you’re going to have a little bit of a strange schedule.
“That’s the boat some of these guys are in but it is the big leagues, and when you have a lot of young players with options on your roster, you hope you can put together a strong roster every day. And, maybe, in some games it helps you.”
Vogt improving: Catcher Stephen Vogt, who began the season on the DL with a shoulder strain, made his first significant progress over the weekend with his throwing program and now believes he sees light at the end of the tunnel.
“I needed some sort of positive feedback and I got it,” Vogt said. “It feels much better.”
Vogt will continue to move forward in his throwing program until he is ready to make throws from behind the plate, the final step. In the meantime, he will continue to take batting practice and be ready to hit when cleared to play in games.
“He had a really good day (Sunday) as a second day in a row throwing,” Counsell said.
“You feel you’re in a spot where you know what to expect. He can keep taking forward steps in this thing. When he’s throwing from behind the plate, he’ll be considered to go out and start hitting (in minor-league games). He can DH before he has to catch.”