Davies is ready to return from DL
The Milwaukee Brewers’ starting rotation took another step toward full health Tuesday with the announcement that Zach Davies will come off the disabled list to start Thursday in the opener of a four-game series against the New York Mets at Miller Park.
Davies has been out since April 30 with rotator cuff inflammation. It originally was thought he would miss just one turn in the rotation but the issue lingered, forcing him to back off before going through a rehab program that included an outing Saturday for Class A Wisconsin.
Right-hander Chase Anderson returned from the disabled list Monday night to pitch six strong innings in a 4-2 victory over Arizona. Anderson had not pitched in two weeks because of a stomach illness that forced him to be scratched from a start in Colorado before going on the DL.
With Anderson and Davies returning, the five pitchers in the seasonopening rotation are on the staff. But
Brandon Woodruff, who opened as the No. 5 starter, currently is assigned to bullpen duty and a likely candidate to return to the minors when Davies is activated.
Veteran left-hander Wade Miley was expected to be in the rotation but suffered a groin strain near the end of camp and opened on the DL. He returned a month later but strained an oblique in his second start and is expected to miss two months.
Right-hander Junior Guerra, who began the season in the minors, was summoned in the early going and has taken regular turns, going 3-3 with a 2.98 earned run average in eight starts.
“We’re getting healthier in the pitching department,” manager Craig Counsell said.
Lefty Brent Suter began the season in the rotation but was shifted to relief duty when Miley was activated. When Miley returned to the DL, Suter returned to a starting role.
“Brent is always going to be a guy that we value his versatility,” Counsell said. “It’s an important trait that he has. A lot of it is in relation to other pitchers on the staff. That’s how we’ll continue to think about him.
“His versatility gives him greater ability to move back and forth. That allows us more flexibility with the roster. It helps us form a better roster, and that’s important.”
Having gone up and down three times already, Woodruff has struggled to find a footing while pitching in both starting and relief roles. In seven appearances, including three starts, he is 2-0 with a 6.75 ERA.
“I understand it’s something new for him,” Counsell said. “But I’m also glad he’s experiencing it. Where we end up in the future, we’d like to have him at the start of games. But we’ve got to have a spot for him.
“We’re trying to put our best guys out there. Right now, this is our best fit. We’ll see what happens moving forward.”
Keeping his chin up: Considering he recently underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and had his right arm in a massive immobilizer, catcher Stephen
Vogt was in good spirits after rejoining the club. As it turns out, only the capsule had to be repaired by orthopedist Neal ElAttrache with minor treatment for tears in his rotator cuff and labrum.
“That’s huge news,” Vogt said. “We had a chance to talk before and I told him what my goal was. He assured me I would have the best shoulder possible. He had to do some work (to the labrum and rotator cuff) but not tack them down. He kind of shaved them. He had to sew the capsule back down. That was the extensive part of the surgery.”
Vogt knew going in he was done for the year but still wants to play in 2019 if possible. As a 33-year-old catcher coming off his second shoulder surgery, he understands the odds aren’t with him but, as always, will give it his best shot.
“My goal is to catch in the big leagues next year,” he said. “If I had any other goal than that, I wouldn’t be who I am. He said eight months (minimum) was the standard for a shoulder procedure. It was the best-case scenario as far as how the surgery went.
“I’m not naïve; I’m not stupid. I know it’s an uphill battle for me. But my whole career has been an uphill battle. This would just add one more chapter to a good story.”
A great presence in the clubhouse, Vogt hopes to stay with the team the remainder of the season.