LATEST NEWS

May 17: LHP Wade Miley placed on 15-day IL (left lat strain), RHP Jake Cousins recalled from Triple-A Nashville
Miley felt a grab behind his left shoulder during the second inning of his start against the Cardinals on Tuesday and was back in Milwaukee on Wednesday for an MRI scan. Cousins is up for his second stint in the Brewers bullpen.

"Definitely, Wade is going to have multiple opinions on this," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who doesn't expect to know more about a timeline for Miley's absence until this weekend at the very earliest.

May 17: OF Christian Yelich optimistic about back issue
Brewers star Christian Yelich has some experience with lower back tightness and has a hunch that his latest episode is on the mild side. He felt a "grab" in his back during a wild scamper around the bases in Sunday's win over the Royals at American Family Field, when he stole second base before going to third and home on a pair of errors, all in one play. He finished that game, then tried to play Monday night in St. Louis before leaving with the Brewers in an 8-0 deficit on the way to an 18-1 loss.

"I was fine-ish. Then we were getting blown out a little bit and [manager Craig Counsell] was like, just take the rest of the night and go get it right," Yelich said. "I was getting [Tuesday] off anyway. I took it easy, so I'm feeling better. I don't feel terrible. Not as bad as I've felt before."

Yelich has had a number of stints on the injured list for back issues in the past, but he's learned to manage it well with Brewers head athletic trainer Scott Barringer, and made it through 2022 and the start of this season with few problems. This week's flare-up comes amid a hot streak; Yelich entered Wednesday with a 1.000 OPS in May.

"It's not ideal. But what are you going to do?" he said. "We should be all right."

May 16: RHP Gus Varland designated for assignment; RHP J.B. Bukauskas recalled from Triple-A Nashville
A Rule 5 Draft pick from the Dodgers, Varland made the Brewers' Opening Day roster thanks to a 49 percent strikeout rate in Spring Training, but wasn't able to sustain success in the Major Leagues. A rough outing against the Cardinals in Monday's 18-1 Brewers loss, in which Varland was charged with nine earned runs while recording two outs, represented the likely end of his Milwaukee tenure.

Per the rules of the Rule 5 Draft, the Brewers could not option Varland to the Minors. Instead, he was designated for assignment and any team can claim him on waivers or acquire him from the Brewers via trade, in which case Varland would continue on in the big leagues as a Rule 5 pick. Should he clear waivers, the Brewers would be required to offer him back to the Dodgers for $50,000.

“The difficult part about being a Rule 5 pick is there’s just a lack of roster flexibility," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "When there is that, that means you have to carry your share of the load. And the nature of that pick is it’s somewhat of a developmental pick. So it’s a challenging thing to do for six months. In my view, if at any point it could affect how other people are able to do their jobs, then it’s kind of untenable in our current situation.

“So that’s the broader picture of it. You invest a lot of time, and Gus certainly showed flashes of being very capable at this level and effective at this level. But in the end, over the long haul, it felt like it was going to be difficult to do that.”

Bukauskas, acquired via waivers from the Mariners last month, is a 26-year-old who has pitched in the Majors for Arizona and Seattle.

May 15: 1B/OF Darin Ruf signed to one-year contract; RHP Trevor Megill recalled from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Colin Rea optioned to Nashville; 1B Luke Voit placed on the 10-day injured list; RHP Brandon Woodruff transferred to the 60-day IL
Ruf was a free agent after being designated for assignment by the Giants last week and will take the spot vacated by Voit, who is down with what manager Craig Counsell characterized as "some pretty significant neck stiffness." Ruf has one trait Voit does not: A track record of success against left-handers. That should make him a useful platoon player at first base.

Ruf played his first five seasons with the Phillies before a three-year stint in the Korea Baseball Organization. He's played for the Giants, Mets and Giants again since returning to MLB in 2020 and has already played for both the Mets and Giants in 2023 (including Spring Training).

"Darin kind of does something that we haven't been great at so far this year, and that's hit left-handed hitters," Counsell said. "That's what he made his name for since he came back from Korea, essentially. He's been very good at it. So, he's going to get a shot over these next couple of weeks, and we'll see what happens."

As for Voit, he traveled back to Milwaukee for treatment and to be with his wife, Tori, who is expecting a baby soon.

Of bringing in a fresh arm in Megill, Counsell said, "We acquired him because we think there's some ingredients for success. His strength is a big fastball. Really, we went with a fresh arm. I think we're entering a tough stretch of the schedule, and we're playing some good teams and we're making sure we're fully staffed to go through these games, especially at the start of it."

• All Brewers transactions

INJURY UPDATES

10-day and 15-day IL

LHP Wade Miley (left lat strain)
Expected return: TBD
Miley was back in Milwaukee for an MRI scan on May 17, a day after exiting his start in St. Louis during the second inning with discomfort behind his left shoulder. In 2022, he spent about four months on the IL with elbow and shoulder injuries while pitching for the Cubs. (Last updated: May 17)

1B Luke Voit (neck stiffness)
Expected return: TBD
Voit woke up with "significant" stiffness on May 15 and landed on the 10-day IL as the Brewers opened a road trip in St. Louis. Voit traveled back to Milwaukee for treatment and to be with his pregnant wife, Tori, who is expecting soon. (Last updated: May 15)

RHP Matt Bush (right shoulder)
Expected return: Late May
Bush has been stumped by his diminished velocity this season, but he said he wasn't hurting until a rough outing against the Red Sox on April 23 when he surrendered two more home runs and the first four of Boston's nine runs in the decisive eighth inning of a Brewers loss. He went very slowly at the start of his IL stint but was scheduled to resume throwing on May 16.

"Just staying strong mentally through this is going to be most important for me, because I tend to look at the negative side because I've been so used to bad injuries that involve surgeries, involve lots of time off," Bush said. "So, just keeping my mind at bay, like, 'Hey, this is just rest. We're going to bounce back. Everything's going to be OK.'" (Last updated: May 15)

60-day IL

LHP Aaron Ashby (left shoulder)
Expected return: September at the earliest
Ashby will begin rehabbing over the next six weeks after undergoing successful surgery on his left shoulder on April 7. The Brewers plan to reevaluate him after that period, at which time the left-hander will begin a six-week throwing program at the team's Spring Training facility. As of a May 17 update, Ashby had been cleared to begin playing catch on Monday, May 22. (Last updated: May 17)

RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder inflammation)
Expected return: Late June at the earliest
The 30-year-old said he felt shoulder tightness after his April 7 start against St. Louis, and an April 12 MRI exam yielded a more serious diagnosis than initially expected: Woodruff has a sub-scapular muscle strain that requires a long rehab. 

A follow-up MRI on April 26 showed encouraging progress, so Woodruff resumed activities that both he and the Brewers hope will lead to a return to the Major League rotation by the end of June. He resumed playing catch on May 8 and said "it was good to feel normal again." He was shifted to the 60-day IL on May 15. (Last updated: May 15)

INF Luis Urías (left hamstring)
Expected return: May 30
Urías felt his hamstring give out while running out a grounder on Opening Day, and an MRI exam revealed what manager Craig Counsell called a “solid” strain that would keep the infielder sidelined until late May in the best-case scenario. On April 18, that timeline was cemented when the Brewers shifted Urías to the 60-day injured list in order to free a 40-man roster spot.

As of May 9, Counsell said Urías was on track to be back in the Majors on the first day he's eligible to come off the 60-day IL, which is May 30 at Toronto. (Last updated: May 9)

CF Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder subluxation)
Expected return: Late September at the earliest
Mitchell's left shoulder popped out of the joint during the Brewers' game against the Mariners on April 18, and an MRI revealed significant damage to his labrum -- enough to necessitate surgery on May 2 that could sideline him for the remainder of the season.

Mitchell was originally hurt on a slide into third base in the top of the 10th inning, then he played center field in the bottom of the inning but had to leave the game when the shoulder again slipped out of joint on a throw home. Mitchell was placed on the injured list on April 19 and had a second opinion before opting for surgery. He was moved to the 60-day IL on April 30. (Last updated: May 4) More >>

LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow)
Expected return: July
Wilson signed with the Brewers in the midst of his comeback from Tommy John surgery and is targeting the second half to pitch in the Majors for Milwaukee. He was progressing nicely in his flat-ground throwing program as of the week of March 12. The lefty was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 1. (Last updated: April 1)

RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff)
Expected return: Late May or early June
Alexander made 18 appearances including 11 starts for the Brewers last season and was part of their pitching depth going into 2023. But he's sidelined after reporting shoulder discomfort as he began throwing in January. The Brewers transferred him to the 60-day injured list on Feb. 18 to free a 40-man roster spot. (Last updated: Feb. 18)

• More injury news