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These days, the roster for the Milwaukee Brewers is reading more like a patient list. Earlier today, the club placed star second baseman Keston Hiura on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain. Mike Moustakas still can’t grip a bat properly after getting drilled in the hand by a line drive the other day and remains out of the lineup. Lorenzo Cain (knee) and Ryan Braun (back) both started today’s game against the Cubs on the bench and could miss multiple days of action. But the ailments don’t end with the big league club; the Brewers are also pulling three of their minor league representatives out of the Arizona Fall League:
Some #Brewers minor-league news: OF Tristen Lutz, C Payton Henry and LHP Nathan Kirby are all being held out of Arizona Fall League play due to injury.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) August 31, 2019
Pablo Abreu, who is on the taxi squad, will take Lutz's spot. Brewers will need to decide on replacements for Henry and Kirby.
Lutz (#2 according to MLB Pipeline), and Henry (#16) were the two highest-rated prospects that the org was planning on sending to the Fall League this year. Both players suited up for the Carolina Mudcats at the Class A-Advanced level this year, with Lutz batting .255/.335/.419 with 13 homers in 112 games and Henry hitting .242/.315/.395 with 14 long balls in 121 games. According to a follow-up tweet from Rosiak, Lutz is dealing with a triceps strain while it is a sprained left MCL that has befallen Henry. Neither player is believed to require surgery at this point.
For Nathan Kirby, the stress fracture that he has suffered in his second rib is only the latest in a long list of medical troubles that have plagued him since the outset of his professional career. The former supplemental first-round pick went under the knife to relieve his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome back in the spring and was thought to be totally recovered and ready to pitch in the AFL before this rib injury was discovered. After missing all of 2016, 2017, and 2019, Kirby will be 26 at the start next season and have a grand total of 83.2 innings pitched (with a 4.95 ERA) since getting drafted five summers ago.
The Brewers now have two slots to fill for this year’s Arizona Fall League, so look for that announcement in the coming days.
Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference