Anderson will make start after hip issue
SAN FRANCISCO – With veteran lefty Brett Anderson recovering from a slight hip issue that forced him from his previous start, the Milwaukee Brewers will start him Wednesday night against San Francisco and save Freddy Peralta's return for this weekend at home against St. Louis.
Anderson, 33, exited the game Thursday against Cincinnati in the fifth inning with right hip discomfort after trying to chase down an infield hit by Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin. The Brewers lost that game, 5-1, with three runs being charged to Anderson.
“Just kind of tweaked my leg-hamstring-hip-groin area, just being a non-athlete,” Anderson said after that game. It's kind of frustrating/embarrassing, but it is what it is.”
It has been that kind of a season for Anderson, who missed time on the injured list with hamstring and knee problems. He is 4-8 with a 4.27 ERA in 20 outings, while covering only 861⁄3 innings.
Asked when he knew Anderson would not have to miss a turn, manager Craig Counsell said, “We gave it two days (to be sure he was OK).”
Peralta exited his last start on Aug. 18 in St. Louis with right shoulder inflammation and went on the injured
list the next day. He was placed on a strengthening program, followed by bullpen sessions in preparation to return to the rotation.
Peralta had his last scheduled bullpen session Monday afternoon and if he responds well, Counsell said he will return to the rotation Friday at home against St. Louis.
Shortstop Willy Adames was out of the starting lineup for the opener against the Giants on Monday after serving as the DH in the last two games in Minnesota, but Counsell said that was the plan as Adames continues his recovery from a quadriceps strain.
“He hasn’t taken ground balls in a week so we’ll get him on the field today,” Counsell said. “He’ll have kind of a full workout day. He’ll run again today and the expectation is he’ll be at shortstop again (Tuesday). When we put this together, this was the expectation of how we would kind of run this.”
Counsell said the news was good also on Eduardo Escobar as he recovers from a hamstring strain that landed him on the IL. He is eligible to be activated Thursday but probably will wait until the weekend.
“He’s doing really well,” Counsell said. “We’re not sure what day but he’ll be activated for the St. Louis series.”
Giants hit by COVID outbreak
The Giants have been hit but a COVID-19 outbreak that sidelined the pitchers who were supposed to start against the Brewers in the first two games of the series – Johnny Cueto and Alex Wood. They opted to go with reliever Jose Alvarez first out of the chute Monday night but did not list a starter for Tuesday.
The Brewers know what the Giants are dealing with after seeing nine players go on the COVID list over a 12-day period in late July and early August.
“You’re doing whatever you can but there’s not much you feel you can control,” Counsell said. “Some of it is bad luck. Once you have the first patient, you don’t know what’s next. You have to get 10 days past (the last positive test) before you feel comfortable.
“You realize when this happens it could happen again any day. That’s part
of it.”
Frelick promoted to Wisconsin
The Brewers promoted centerfielder Sal Frelick, their 2021 first-round draft pick, to the advanced Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers after a brief but highly successful stint with low Class A Carolina. He is scheduled to join that club Tuesday.
The 15th selection in the draft, Frelick began his professional career with the Arizona Complex League Brewers Gold team, going 7 for 15 before being promoted to the Mudcats. In 16 games with Carolina,
he batted a blistering .437 (31 for 71) with a home run, 12 runs batted in and 1.085 OPS.
Frelick joins a club that already has two highly regarded outfield prospects, Joe Gray Jr. and Joey Weimer, both candidates for the Brewers minor league player of the year. The Timber Rattlers will be home from Tuesday through Sept. 12, playing series against Beloit and Cedar Rapids.
The Brewers also announced another of their top prospects, outfielder Hedbert Perez, has been promoted to Carolina from the ACL Brewers Gold club. Perez, 18, a left-handed hitter, had to wait until this season to begin his pro career after the 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the pandemic. He is off to a great start, batting .325 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 21 RBI and .947 OPS.
So Perez would not be without competition last year, the Brewers included him in their alternate training site in Appleton, a huge vote of confidence in the then-17-year-old. He also appeared briefly in big-league camp this spring.
Nuñez signs minors deal
The Brewers signed third baseman Renato Nuñez to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Class AAA Nashville. He was recently assigned outright by Detroit to Class AAA Toledo but turned down that assignment to become a free agent.
Nuñez had been designated for assignment on Aug. 21 to clear a spot on the Tigers’ 40-man roster. He appeared in only 14 games in the majors, spending most of the season with Toledo, where he batted .291 with 20 homers, 64 RBI and .986 OPS in 311 plate appearances.
Nuñez’s biggest season in the majors came in 2019 with Baltimore when he slugged 31 home runs and drove in 90 runs. He was released by the Orioles last offseason and signed with Detroit.
General manager Matt Arnold said the signing of Nuñez provided extra infield depth while Adames and Escobar were banged up.
“We like his bat and you know how we like depth,” Arnold said. “We thought it made sense to pick him up. You always want to protect yourself (against injuries) if you can.”