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Notes: The Brewers put outfielder Christian Yelich’s return from the disabled list on hold.
NEW YORK - Christian Yelich’s return from the disabled list won’t occur this weekend after all.
While the outfielder is eligible to be reinstated beginning on Sunday and there was some hope at the outset of the Milwaukee Brewers’ series with the New York Mets at Citi Field that would indeed be the case, the decision was ultimately made to hold Yelich back for the time being.
“I don’t think he’s 100 percent yet,” said Brewers manager Craig Counsell. “We want to get a little closer to 100 percent. We’re making progress. This is the best he’s felt, hitting and playing catch today. So we’re making progress, but not there fully enough to say we have a date on the activation.”
Yelich took about 70 swings before the game, according to Counsell.
“It’s not a setback at all,” Counsell said. “It’s just really us saying we have to have a couple of good days in a row, and have him really say, ‘I’m good to go,’ before we activate him.”
Catcher Manny Piña also was ruled out of Sunday’s game as he continues to deal with a sore calf.
Counsell was asked if the weather forecast Sunday — temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s, rain and gusty winds — played a role in holding both Yelich and Piña back.
“I guess maybe a little bit,” he said. “It’s more, for both of them, ‘Let’s get them at 100 percent before we put them back out there.’ In both their cases, I want to put it behind them. That’s the goal.
“At a different point in the season, at the end of the season, we would be considering something different here. But this is a point in the season where, to me, it’s so much more beneficial to put these things behind them in the rear-view mirror.”
There was some good news for the Brewers on Saturday, as both Lorenzo
Cain and Domingo Santana were back in the starting lineup a day after banging legs in a minor outfield collision.
Arcia out: Orlando Arcia has had some big moments at the plate for the Brewers in the early going, driving in the eventual game-winning run on three different occasions.
Other than that it’s been tough sledding for him, as he’s hitting just .159 with one extra-base hit and five runs batted in. He was out of the lineup on Saturday in favor of Eric Sogard, but that was a move Counsell said was pre-determined before the series even began.
With the Mets starting right-hander Matt Harvey, Counsell countered with three left-handed hitters in Sogard, Eric Thames, Travis Shaw and one switch-hitter in Jonathan Villar.
As for Arcia, Counsell said the coaching staff has been working on improving the young shortstop’s balance at the plate. There’s also been focus on getting his front foot down quicker and getting his hands through the zone more consistently.
“He’s probably a guy that hasn’t gotten on it yet,” Counsell said. “I think he’d tell you the same thing. He’s working on it and I don’t think he’s gotten to the point where he feels real comfortable yet.
“He looked pretty good in San Diego, and then I think since the home stand he’s struggled a little bit. He’s a guy that we can hopefully get going a little bit down at the bottom of the lineup.”
Webb claimed: Left-hander Tyler Webb was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres, the Brewers announced.
Webb, 27, had been designated for assignment on April 7 to clear a 40man roster spot for right-hander J.J.
Hoover, who also since has been designated for assignment.
The Brewers acquired Webb from the Yankees on July 13 in exchange for first baseman Garrett Cooper, and Webb pitched in a total of two majorleague games before being optioned out to Class AAA Colorado Springs.
His debut was a memorable one, but for the wrong reason. The day after the Brewers claimed Webb, Philadelphia’s Nick Williams hit Webb’s first pitch for what turned out to be a game-turning grand slam. Milwaukee ultimately went on to lose six straight games, jump-starting its second-half slide.
Webb, who closed out 2017 by going 1-2 with a 6.48 ERA in 17 appearances at Colorado Springs, pitched a total of two innings in two games this spring before being optioned back out.