CINCINNATI -- The roster shakeup which had been forecast by Brewers manager Pat Murphy in recent days came to fruition on Friday afternoon, when the club deactivated outfielders Isaac Collins (paternity list) and Blake Perkins (bereavement list) while activating rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski from the injured list to start the series opener against the Reds at Great American Ball Park with Milwaukee seeking to match its franchise record with a 13th consecutive victory.
The Brewers called up outfielder Steward Berroa and first baseman Tyler Black to fill in on the position-player side and optioned right-hander Grant Anderson back to Triple-A Nashville to make room for Misiorowski.
The moves come as the Brewers embarked on a stretch of 19 games over the next 18 days, starting with eight games over the next seven days against the Reds and Cubs, two postseason hopefuls behind Milwaukee in the NL Central standings.
Misiorowski, the flamethrowing 23-year-old who took the Majors by storm in June and July and made the National League All-Star team, has been sidelined since taking a comebacker off his right shin during his July 28 start against the Cubs. He resumed throwing soon thereafter, but the club opted for a cautious approach as team officials are monitoring Misiorowski’s innings; at 96 2/3 frames between Nashville and the Majors this season, he is two outs shy of matching his total from last year in the Minors.
The Brewers have been planning for several weeks for the departures of Collins for the birth of his first child and Perkins for a family matter. Both have played significant roles during the winning streak, including Perkins throwing out the tying runner at home plate to end a series-opening win over the Mets on the last homestand and Collins hitting his first career walk-off home run to finish a three-game sweep two days later.
“Even if it was a surprise, it’s not a matter of who you’re bringing up, it’s a matter of not having [Collins and Perkins], you know what I mean?” Murphy said. “They’re two integral parts of this thing over the last couple of months. But there are things they have to attend to that mean far more than our game.”
Murphy said Collins is expected back with the Brewers for Monday’s doubleheader at Wrigley Field against the Cubs and indicated that Perkins would rejoin the team “shortly.” The bereavement list allows for a maximum of seven days away.