Healthy Lauer finally joins Brewers
COVID-19 delayed Eric Lauer’s arrival to Milwaukee Brewers summer camp, even though the left-hander did not test positive for the virus himself.
“I just want to start by saying I’m fine, I’m healthy, I’m all right,” Lauer told reporters Sunday. “I’m looking forward to moving forward. I was in close contact with someone who had tested positive, so that’s kind of when I got pushed back a little bit. They were just following the natural protocol for everything.”
Lauer ultimately joined the Brewers last Friday, almost a week after the team began its workouts at Miller Park.
Currently on the injured list along with Luis Urías and Angel Perdomo – both of whom have tested positive for COVID-19 and are still quarantined – Lauer will throw his first bullpen session on Tuesday.
“The timing of it was just kind of bad because everything happened right when everybody was going to Milwaukee to start,” Lauer said. “That’s what kind of left me behind a little bit, just maintaining that safe distance.”
Lauer, 25, came to the Brewers along with Urías in an offseason trade with San Diego. It’s been the shortstop Urías who’s had a real tough go of it, missing all of spring training after undergoing surgery for a broken hamate bone.
Lauer, meanwhile, missed time toward the end of camp in Arizona with a left-shoulder impingement. It’s been a frustrating tenure with the Brewers so far for both ex-Padres, who are eager to prove themselves.
“That’s the main thing you want to do – you want to come to a new team and express your worth and show everybody what you’ve got,” Lauer said. “We’ve talked about it because we were both in Arizona this offseason and training together a little bit.
“It’s nice to have that friend with you but at the same time, we’re both itching to show everybody what we’ve got.”
Lauer said his shoulder is feeling fine, with the three-month pause in the season allowing him time to heal and rehab.
“We were working on that when things got dispersed a little bit; I was still able to do my rehab and work on that,” he said. “So that’s completely cleared up now.”
Manager Craig Counsell expressed optimism Lauer will still have enough time to be included on the opening-day roster.
He was a workhorse the previous two seasons in San Diego, starting 52 games, and could be a valuable asset for the Brewers moving forward.
“Eric’s healthy. He has a chance to be ready for the start of the season,” Counsell said. “We’ll just see what kind of volume we can get to and where the rest of the health is of the staff and really, the best way to get him ready for 60 games.
“He’s on track. He just got slowed down a little bit.”
Added Lauer: “It’s definitely something that’s in the back of my mind as far as having the extra time away from the team, but I think I was able to stay in shape and stuff to where I shouldn’t be too far behind, if at all.
“It’s just a matter of getting that bullpen in and then throwing off the mound and facing hitters at this point. I still have the conditioning and everything I think I need.”
Gamel looking good
Although there’s only so much that can be read into the series of intrasquad scrimmages the Brewers have played thus far, it’s been tough not to notice how well outfielder Ben Gamel has performed.
The home run he hit off Josh Lindblom and diving catch he made in leftcenter to rob Brock Holt of potential extra bases on Friday have been the highlights, and he’s otherwise been hitting the ball hard consistently in making the most of his second chance to impress this season in summer camp.
Gamel picked up two more hits in Sunday’s scrimmage.
“Ben has made some adjustments; I think that’s pretty clear,” Counsell said. “Just look at him when he’s in the box and you can tell he’s made some adjustments. So far, it’s paid off. It’s been fun to watch.
“He’s excited about them and he just needs to continue with them; just continue getting comfortable with them. You’ll him a little more straight-up, you’ll see his hands a little more away from his body. It’s pretty visible when you start getting some center field shots of him.”
At first glance, Gamel’s tweaked stance looks a little more like that of teammate Christian Yelich, although Counsell said that was more coincidence than anything.
Gamel – acquired in December of 2018 from the Seattle Mariners along with minor-league pitcher Noah Zavolas in exchange for Domingo Santana – hit only .207 with a triple and two runs batted in over 29 Cactus League at-bats this spring.
He had several huge moments for the Brewers last season – his first in Milwaukee – and was productive overall as a spare outfielder hitting .248 with seven homer and 33 RBI while providing valuable defense in all three outfield spots.
He’ll be expected to fill a similar role this year, with Ryan Braun and Holt also capable of filling in behind Yelich, Lorenzo Cain and Avisaíl García.
“Any changes a hitter makes, they’re trial and error,” Counsell said. “He’s either trying to do something or not do something to kind of get himself out of a bad habit and finding a way to do that. That’s what Ben is doing.
“We identified, last year, some things he was doing, and it’s been a little bit of trial and error to get to a place where he feels comfortable with the change that can get him into a better hitting position more consistently. It takes a while. It’s not always the first thing you do.
“I see it more, visually for me, now than I did in the spring. But, I think, that’s part of trial and error.”