AROUND THE HORN
Brewers: Reliever Devin Williams fractured his throwing hand when he punched a wall after the Brewers celebrated their NL Central title, likely knocking him out for the entire postseason. Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said before the Brewers’ Wednesday night game with the Cardinals that Williams’ injury likely will require surgery. Stearns said there’s an “outside chance” the 2020 NL rookie of the year could be available for the World Series if the Brewers get that far. The Brewers clinched the division crown Sunday by beating the Mets 8-4 in their regular-season home finale. “After our celebration, I went out to have a few drinks,” Williams said Wednesday. “On my way home, I was a little frustrated and upset, and I punched a wall. That’s how it happened.” The injury leaves the Brewers without their main setup man for All-Star closer Josh Hader. Williams, a 27-yearold right-hander, has an 8-2 record with a 2.50 ERA in 58 games this season. He has struck out 87 batters in 54 innings. Opponents are batting .186 against him. Last year as a rookie, Williams went 4-1 with an 0.33 ERA in 22 appearances while striking out 53 batters in 27 innings, and opponents batted .090 against him. Williams initially didn’t realize the severity of his injury. “Devin actually tried to throw with this yesterday,” Stearns said. “We were not aware of this. He went out and tried to throw. I think at that point, he recognized that he had hurt himself.” Stearns said Williams then notified the Brewers’ medical staff. Williams received an X-ray during Tuesday’s game that revealed the fracture. Williams apologized to the Brewers and their fans for the circumstances that led to his injury. “I’m pretty upset with myself,”
Williams said. “There’s no one to blame but me. I feel like I’ve let my team down — our coaching staff, our fans, everyone. I know how big of a role that I play on this team. There’s a lot of people counting on me. I guess all I can do now is cheer my team on and learn from it and don’t make that same mistake in the future.” The Brewers placed Williams on the injured list. They recalled RHP Colin Rea from Triple-A Nashville and designated utilityman Tim Lopes for assignment.
Royals: OF Michael A. Taylor and the oyals agreed to a two-year, $9 million contract covering 2022 and ’23. Taylor can earn $250,000 annually in performance bonuses: $50,000 each for 325, 375, 425, 475 and 525 plate appearances. He would have been eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series. Taylor has a $1.75 million base salary this year, and has earned $900,000 of $1 million in available bonuses for plate appearances. The 30-year-old is batting .244 in his first season with the Royals with 12 HRs, 52 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts. An eightyear veteran who spent his first seven seasons with the Nationals, Taylor has a .239 career average with 65 HRs, 236 RBIs and 91 steals in 118 tries. He’s among the top-rated defensive outfielders in the majors.
Cubs: OF Jason Heyward will miss the rest of the season because he’s still dealing with concussion symptoms. Heyward suffered the concussion after he was inadvertently kneed in the head by Giants SS Brandon Crawford in a collision Sept. 11. The 32-year-old Heyward hit .214 with eight HRs and a 30 RBIs in 104 games . ... Rookie RHP Keegan Thompson was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday, ending his season. He made 32 appearances, including six starts.