Brewers tell Morrison, Grimm they’ve made the team
The Milwaukee Brewers were not going to let Logan Morrison walk away. Not the way he has swung the bat during their spring and summer camps.
The Brewers confirmed a report Sunday that Morrison was told he made their opening 30-man roster. The first baseman/outfielder, a nonroster invitee to camp, had an “optout” clause that allowed him to look for a job elsewhere if not placed on the roster five days before the team’s opener.
The Brewers also confirmed a report that right-handed reliever Justin Grimm, another non-roster player, also was told he made the club. He, too, had an “opt-out” clause otherwise.
Morrison, 32, wore a live microphone Sunday during Game 5 of the “Blue & Gold World Series” at Miller Park and was asked about getting that news.
“To be honest, (manager) Craig (Counsell) told me a couple of days ago,” the left-handed-hitting slugger said. “For me, it was just an inevitable day. I knew it was going to happen.”
Morrison opened eyes during the Brewers’ first camp in the spring in Phoenix, batting .300 in exhibition play with three home runs, seven RBI and .964 OPS in 12 games. He added a three-run homer in Game 3 of the “Blue & Gold World Series.”
Morrison broke through with 38 home runs and 85 runs batted in over 149 games with Tampa Bay in 2017, and signed a free-agent deal with Minnesota afterward. But he was sidelined twice in ’18 by left hip impingements and played in only 95 games, batting .186 with 15 homers and 39 RBI.
The New York Yankees signed Morrison in April 2019 but released him July 4 after he played 43 games for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre (.289, 15 HRs, 37 RBI). He signed with Philadelphia but played in only 29 games for the Phillies, batting .200 with two homers and three RBI.
With eight trips to the injured list over 10 years in the majors, Morrison took advantage of the three-month shutdown of MLB during the pandemic to transform his body under the direction of friend Christian Wonders, a devotee of Indianapolis-based strength and conditioning coach Bill Hartman.
“I basically changed my body, the way I feel and the way I move,” Morrison told reporters at the beginning of last week.
Morrison is listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds but reported to summer camp noticeably trimmer than in the spring. He credited the three months away from the game with working even harder to get in the best possible physical shape.
“The time off allowed me to get back with (Wonder) and he helped me better understand and do all the things I need to do to make myself feel better,” Morrison said.
Grimm also had a tough 2019, failing to appear in the majors while pitching in the farm systems of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. His best year came in 2015 when he posted a 1.99 ERA over 62 appearances with the Cubs, with 67 strikeouts in 492⁄3 innings.
Grimm slipped to a 4.10 ERA in 68 games for Chicago in ‘16 but still logged 65 strikeouts in 522⁄3 innings. He struggled to a 5.53 ERA in 50 games the next season and was released by the Cubs the following spring.
Much like Morrison, Grimm got his foot solidly in the door with the Brewers in the spring with six strong outings covering six innings. He allowed only one hit and one run while issuing four walks and striking out nine. Grimm has whiffed six hitters in two innings in the “Blue & Gold World Series.”
Morrison and Grimm fill two of the three openings created on the Brewers’ 40-man roster by players going on the COVID-19 injured list. Infielder Luis Urías and left-hander Angel Perdomo tested positive before players reported to camp, and left-hander Eric Lauer joined them after coming in contact with someone who tested positive.
Lauer pitched in intrasquad action for the first time Sunday and was impressive, striking out all three hitters he faced on 12 pitches.