MILWAUKEE -- Already without 21-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio because of a hamstring injury, the Brewers found themselves down another everyday defender on Friday when they placed shortstop Joey Ortiz on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
The good news was that Chourio was ready to begin a rehab assignment on Friday night at Triple-A Nashville, where he played five innings in center field and went 0-for-3 with a walk. The bad news, at least as it relates to Ortiz’s possible timeline, is that Chourio has already been sidelined for more than three weeks.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy indicated that Milwaukee’s medical staff believes Ortiz will be able to return more quickly, since his injury is a “low-grade” strain. He injured the hamstring during Thursday's 4-1 win over the Cubs, which he was forced to exit in the fifth inning.
The 27-year-old Ortiz is hitting .284 with seven homers, 17 doubles and 56 runs scored in 125 games this year, his second full season. In 20 games since the calendar flipped to August, he had hit .343 with a .387 OBP and 14 runs scored.
“I felt like I was finally kind of getting a groove going, especially offensively," Ortiz said. "I was starting to swing the bat as I know I can. Things happen. It's baseball. I’ve just got to do what I can to get back.”
For Friday's game, the Crew started Andruw Monasterio at short, keeping Brice Turang at second base. They plan to keep that alignment for the foreseeable future, Murphy said.
“You can’t just take a kid that has [barely] played shortstop since Spring Training and just throw him there and say, ‘Oh, you’re going to play there for 11 [or so] days and now you’re going to go back.’ There’s a whole different training involved, different types of balls, timing, footwork. It’s a different position, especially if you want to excel, which Brice does.
“If Joey’s injury was long term, you would consider putting Brice there in the long term. But be it that we don’t think it’s going to be long term, we play it like this.”
Monasterio is a capable shortstop, though it would be a surprise to see him defend as well as Ortiz, who is tied for fourth among MLB shortstops in Statcast’s fielding run value. The Brewers prefer to use Monasterio as a late-inning pinch-hitter or defensive replacement, like the role he played last week when he came off the bench in Cincinnati to deliver a go-ahead, three-run home run for Milwaukee’s 14th consecutive victory, a club record.
“I think my routine [is the only change],” Monasterio said. “I just focus on one position. I don’t have to make a change in the middle of the game. As a starter, I just focus on shortstop. But I don’t know, they haven’t told me anything yet. I’m just [thinking about] today.”
He said he remains most comfortable at shortstop.
“It’s the position I practice the most,” he said. “With the Brewers, the philosophy is if you practice at shortstop, you can play everywhere.”
Ortiz's roster spot was taken by 1B/OF Jake Bauers, who was activated from the IL after being sidelined since July 20 with a left shoulder impingement.