Hamstring strain puts Escobar on injured list
Brewers expect he’ll miss about two weeks
Third baseman Eduardo Escobar, the key player acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers before the July 30 trade deadline, will be out of action for at least 10 days.
The Brewers placed Escobar on the 10-day injured list Tuesday as they prepared to open a big three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Escobar strained his right hamstring running to first base on a groundout Sunday during a 7-3 victory over the Washington Nationals at American Family Field.
The strain isn't considered a serious one.
"It was good news, really," manager Craig Counsell said. "He's got a hamstring strain and it's injured list. We're looking at the two-week range.
"It's good, all things considered, I think. I feel like it's good news."
To replace Escobar on the bigleague roster, the Brewers recalled infielder/outfielder Pablo Reyes from
Class AAA Nashville. This will be his sixth stint with the club this season.
The Brewers acquired the switch-hitting Escobar, 32, on July 28 from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade for two minor leaguers, pitcher Alberto Ciprian and outfielder Cooper Hummel. He had been a regular in the lineup, mostly at third base but also at the new position of first base.
In 21 games, Escobar was batting .280 with a .337 on-base percentage, .451 slugging percentage, two home runs, eight runs batted in and 11 runs scored. He had walked seven times and struck out 18 times.
"You put a switch-hitter in the middle of the lineup, it really puts some other guys in a good position," Counsell said. "There's an effect of getting some guys matchups later in the game that I think is helpful and has been helpful."
The loss of Escobar came before the first-place Brewers took on the secondplace Reds for the last time this season. The teams split the first 16 games but the Brewers built a 71⁄2 game lead in the NL Central by going 23-10 since the all-star break.
"I feel a little bit better," Escobar said. "Hopefully it's only 10 days. I think everything will be fine.
"I was worried (when it happened). The last time I pulled my hamstring was 2016 with Minnesota. I felt it when I ran to first base and I was a little worried. But they showed me the MRI and said it was nothing crazy. Today, I'm walking better. So, I think I'll be ready soon."
Luis Urías and Jace Peterson will see increased playing time with Escobar sidelined.
The Brewers also lost reserve outfielder Tyrone Taylor over the weekend to an oblique injury expected to keep him out 3-4 weeks. They also are playing without right-hander Freddy Peralta, on the 10-day IL with shoulder inflammation.
"Obliques can take a little bit longer as well but Tyrone's progressing pretty well, too," Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. "That's not going to be 10 days or two weeks, but it's not going to be six weeks, either."
Peralta's shoulder improving
Assuming Escobar is able to return within two weeks, the Brewers' pitching staff could also receive a lift in that same time frame in the form of Peralta.
The right-hander, who's been on the IL since Thursday with shoulder inflammation, is progressing as planned with his rehab work and recovery.
“Freddy's doing well. Everything's moving forward, for sure,” Counsell said. “We'll continue with the throwing program the rest of the week with the intention of getting off a mound later in the week.
“Very good progress.” Peralta, 9-3 with a 2.45 earned run average and WHIP of 0.94 in 23 appearances (22 starts), shouldn't require a rehab start in the minor leagues, either, if he can avoid any setbacks.
“If we can stay on this schedule there'd be no reason for it,” Counsell said. “We're looking to the end of the San Francisco series, or the home stand (beginning Sept. 3).
Milwaukee's “Big Three” of Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Peralta has been remarkably durable so far, making a combined 67 starts.
Woodruff has made all 24 of his scheduled starts, while Burnes missed two early in the season after contracting COVID-19. Peralta's IL stint is just the second of his career and first since 2019.
The Brewers built in an extra day of rest for their starters from the outset of the season, a move that seems to have paid big dividends.
“I think by doing that extra day I'm 2-3 starts short of where I typically might be at this point of the season,” Burnes said. “It might be (a factor). Also, the way the schedule has been spaced out this year, we always seem to have off days every week or two. I think that with the extra off days has helped keep us fresh.
“But, I like to pride myself on the work I do between starts to keep my body good.”
Still room for Vogelbach
Stearns said there will be room on the big-league roster for Daniel Vogelbach when he recovers from a foot injury and shows he is ready while on minorleague rehab with Nashville, even with Rowdy Tellez putting his stamp on the first base position in recent weeks.
Stearns acquired Tellez from Toronto after left-handed sluggers Travis Shaw (dislocated shoulder) and Vogelbach (strained hamstring) went on the IL in June. Escobar was acquired later and that made Shaw expendable, so he was put on waivers and claimed by Boston.
But Stearns said there still is room for Vogelbach despite the redundancy of he and Tellez being left-handed-hitting first basemen.
“I think Vogey proved when he was here that he could really contribute,” Stearns said. “We saw that last September. He was an extremely impactful offensive player. He was really getting going unfortunately when he had the injury. This is a player who can still impact games for us.”
Vogelbach went on injury rehab for the hamstring strain to Nashville on July 29 and was getting close to returning when he injured his right foot on a slide into second base.
Vogelbach was recalled from that rehab assignment and then returned a few days ago with the calendar resetting at 20 days. He was batting .351 with a 1.123 OPS, three homers and six RBI in 14 games for the Sounds.
“He's playing regularly now,” Stearns said. “I don't know if he's 100% but he's getting pretty close. Once he's good to go we can bring him up. It's a combination of once he's good to go and, ultimately, need here.”
Major-league rosters can be expanded from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1.