Opening-day roster filled with first-timers
7 players making their April debut
There were no surprises Sunday when the Milwaukee Brewers officially announced their 2016 openingday roster.
In essence, the Brewers cut down to their 25-man roster the previous day with a series of moves, including the signing of free-agent reliever Carlos Torres. Right-hander Ariel Pena, out of minorleague options, was given the last spot in the bullpen and the outfield was completed with Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Keon Broxton after non-roster player Alex Presley was informed he would not be kept.
The roster has 15 different players from the start of the 2015 season and the Brewers also begin with six players on the disabled list. Outfielder Rymer Liriano (facial fractures) and relievers Yhonathan Barrios (rotator cuff) and Sean Nolin (elbow) were placed on the 60-day DL; and relievers Will Smith (knee), Corey Knebel (oblique) and Zack Jones (shoulder) on the 15-day DL.
The Brewers have seven players making their first opening-day roster: pitchers Taylor Jungmann and Pena; outfielders Domingo Santana, Ramon Flores and Broxton; and infielders Yadiel Rivera and Colin Walsh, a Rule 5 draft pick making his majorleague debut.
“We’re excited to get the season going,” said general manager David Stearns. “We think we have a good mix of players who have been here a little while and understand the community and this city, understand baseball in Milwaukee, and an influx of new talent as well, both veterans and young players who we think are going to add to the mix and help propel us forward.
“We got out of (camp) what we wanted during the spring. We’re happy with that and now it’s time to turn the lights on and go for real.”
Stearns said the decision to sign Torres was made after a spate of injuries thinned the relief corps. Torres, 33, pitched the previous three seasons with the New York Mets and became available after opting out of his contract in Atlanta’s camp.
“We had been hit with the injury bug a little bit in the bullpen,” said Stearns. “You never know where it’s going to hit the club over the course of the season. In spring training, the injuries we sustained were concentrated in the pen.
“We felt as though adding an extra layer of depth there would be helpful heading into the season. Carlos is a guy who has a proven majorleague track record. To be able to add that type of skill set to our bullpen at this stage of the spring we thought was beneficial.
“He’s a guy we looked into in the offseason. So, we had done our homework on him and were very familiar with him.”
As for how the bullpen would be configured at the back end without Smith and Knebel in particular, Stearns said, “J.J. ( Jeremy Jeffress) is one of them. Beyond that, it's really going to be (manager) Craig (Counsell) matching up as he can with the pieces he has in place and seeing if guys step up.”
Knebel last pitched Thursday in an exhibition game in Houston, but Stearns said he did not feel oblique soreness until the next day.
“Whether he did it in that game or not, we don’t know,” said Stearns. “He didn’t feel it until he played catch the next day. He was as surprised as everyone when he played catch and felt a little pull, and rightfully pulled himself off the field and got it checked out.”
When the Brewers opted not to add Presley to their roster, it gave Nieuwenhuis and Broxton the final outfield jobs. Stearns was asked what factors went into that decision.
“It was a variety of different factors,” he said. “Alex did an outstanding job throughout camp, performed very well and did everything he could to make a positive impression. When we came down to the end, we looked at the makeup of the entire team and we thought the complement of Kirk and Keon to the existing outfield mix made the most sense.
“That can obviously change over the course of the season. To have an option like Alex Presley going to Colorado Springs, while not pleasurable for him, is a benefit for us as an organization.”
That could change if Presley finds a job with another team. He had two days to latch on with a major-league club rather than report to Colorado Springs. Should he find one, the Brewers would have the option of reversing course and adding him to their roster, but Stearns didn’t indicate that would happen.
“That’s something we’d cross if it happens,” he said. “We’ll have our internal discussions if we’re presented with that situation.”
Garza still set: Veteran right-hander Matt Garza remained on track to start Wednesday against San Francisco after exiting his exhibition outing Friday in Houston with shoulder stiffness. Garza threw a bullpen session Sunday at Miller Park and Stearns said, “We’ll see how that goes. As of now, he’s still on schedule.”
Stearns said Plan B should Garza not be ready is Jungmann, who is slated to be the No. 4 starter but could move up on normal rest if needed.
Nolin injury serious:
Stearns clarified the status of Nolin, who was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60day DL with a serious elbow injury. Stearns said tests revealed a UCL sprain, so Nolin will undergo six weeks of therapy to see if he can avoid Tommy John surgery and a lost year.
“There’s always different degrees of sprains so we’re going to go through a rehab process with Sean over the next six weeks or so,” said Stearns. “Our hope and expectation, and Sean’s expectation is that rest and rehab will alleviate some of the discomfort.
“If that’s not the case, then we’ ll have to re-evaluate and determine whether surgery is a possibility.”