Luis Urias was removed from today’s Spring Training game after suffering a quad injury while running the bases. Brewers manager Craig Counsell told Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters that the extent of the injury won’t be known until tomorrow. If Urias needs to miss any amount of time, it would certainly be a blow to the Brewers, as Urias’ excellent breakout campaign (.249/.345/.445 with an 111 wRC+) put him in line to be the club’s everyday third baseman this year.
The Brewers succeeded last year despite a mediocre offense, getting tremendous results from their pitching staff. They’ve made efforts to bolster the lineup this offseason, adding Hunter Renfroe, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Brosseau. If Urias has to miss any time, Brosseau and Jace Peterson are the most likely to step up and man the hot corner.
Some other injury notes from around the league as Spring Training games get underway…
- The Yankees’ newly-acquired catcher Ben Rortvedt has been sidelined by an oblique injury, per Dan Martin of the New York Post. Rortvedt was just acquired as part of the big trade with the Twins, coming over with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. As a left-handed bat, Rortvedt was expected to play in a platoon capacity alongside right-handed batter Kyle Higashioka. The club doesn’t have another catcher on their 40-man roster. If Rortvedt’s injury proves significant, they may have to look for outside additions, or else rely on depth options like Rob Brantly or David Freitas.
- Tigers reliever Kyle Funkhouser has lat soreness in his right side and may not be ready for Opening Day, reports Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Funkhouser emerged as a valuable member of Detroit’s relief corps last year, throwing 68 1/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA. His 21.1% strikeout rate and 12.8% walk rate were both subpar, but he did log a strong 53.2% ground ball rate. “It just hasn’t resolved itself,” Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch said of the injury. “He hasn’t been throwing any bullpens or live batting practice. That’s a concern with the shorter spring. I don’t anticipate that he’ll be ready for the season. Three weeks from yesterday we open up. That’s not much time on a regular schedule, let along when you have a bump in the road like this.”
Hopefully Ben Rortvedt doesn’t have too difficult a time after being crowned “supreme catching god” by Yankees fans.
Cast….and wait
What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for Yankee fans to get upset at you for your comment? Is that your thing? I didn’t realize Yankee fans had referred to him in that way but if you feel the need to say it in order to garner attention for yourself then so be it. I thought he was just a young catcher with a chance to platoon at the position for the Yankees which is pretty cool and it’s a shame he might be injured.
I was waiting for this. Thank you.
Good for you man…..too many haters!
Yankees need to trade for Contreras now.
Sean Murphy would be better and get a starter too.
@larkraxm It’s amazing that there are only 2 catchers on the Yankee 40 man roster. Rob Brantley does NOT have a major league throwing arm. He is strictly an emergency major league catcher. Would love Sean Murphy, but minimally they have to add another major league catcher! I thought after they traded Gary Sanchez they might look into signing old friend Austin Romine but he signed with the Angel. Cashman just seem prepared this off season at all!!!
make that unprepared!!!
Sean Murphy would cost the farm though. He’s virtually untouchable because of his price point unless a team has a DD in charge and simply has no future in mind. He would cost more than Olson & Olson was too expensive for nearly everyone’s taste…. ATL gave up quite a bit to get him only for two years (although they were able to extend him at a fair-market price).
Mickey7s: Do you remember his situational awareness? With his team shouting at him from the dugout to stop running the bases on a pop out when there was only one out? He did that more than once too.
No, thank you. Give me Contreras, let the Rortvedt kid develop at AAA for a year & reassess. Brantley has overachieved @ AAA.
@Clip. I don’t remember the situation you described, but I trust your memory. The price for Contreras and Murphy would be exorbitant. My point was not to bang the drum for bringing back Romine, but that we need another Major League catcher. I wrote in October that the Yankees should trade for Tucker Barnhart. The price the Tigers paid was not substantial. Thanks to Cashman’s lack of planning we are now in a very difficult spot. We have only 1 Major League catcher. Rob Brantley’s throwing arm is not Major League quality.
I would rather have Tom Murphy
This is what happens to guys who go insane in the weight room. Some guys forget they are baseball players not Mr Universe competitors.
I agree that bulking up is a bad approach for ballplayers, but the story being floated by his former teammates is that he isn’t that much of a weightlifter. They claim he’s just naturally ripped. Dubious story perhaps, but I once knew a guy like that: looked like a gym rat but he said he didn’t spend any time working out. I guess it’s possible.
Urias said he “bulked-up” because he loses weight during the season and he wanted to stay strong. Yup.
You sound like Sparky Anderson. He once told Lance Parrish that he needed to decide whether he wanted to be a baseball player or a member of the Russian Olympic weightlifting team.
Is it fair to call him a left handed hitter when he hits .160?
Oblique injuries on catchers are minor. He should be back by August.
Dammit there goes Ben’s start in the AS game!
You failed to capitalize “Supreme” and “God”, rendering your assertion blasphemous. /s
Saw Urias, swiped right to my Dodger feed and didn’t see Urias, swiped back and opened article….oh….Luis.
I did the same thing lol
Yanks fleeced the cubs in the Chapman deal, it’s payback time. Yanks want Contreras, sounds like Volpe plus is the right price
Cubs won a WS, so…
Not happening dude get a hold of yourself. Contreras isn’t worth even close to that and like I keep having to tell nitwit nation if the Yankees wouldn’t give up Volpe for Olson why would they do it for much lesser talent?
@Mystery Team. Looks like we’re going to have to move either Torres or LeMahieu for one of the pieces we need, a catcher, a SP, and a 4th outfielder. And yes we will have to include a lot more to get the pieces we need.
Contreras is available for Medina and a lottery ticket, or comparable. Wells & a lower prospect, etc.
I respectfully disagree. I haven’t read anywhere that the Cubs are even willing to trade Contreras. Hope I’m wrong. Would gladly trade Medina (who I really like) and a lottery ticket for Contreras!!!!
Is Gleyber Torres really that good? They got a World Series and Chapman played a big role. I hope they hold Contreras and reevaluate in July.
They will get even less for him then. He will only be available for three months so it will yield a reciprocal offer.
The prospect rankings are fluid. A good chunk of the headliners in last years deadline deals have found their way on to somebody’s top 100 list. If you are blown away then make a trade. He’s one guy I’d love to see them extend. He is just starting to come into his own as a catcher and double bonus he can hit a little. It’s ugly out there
That ain’t goin to happen….Volpe is our future SS and he isn’t going anywhere least of all for Contreras.
The Yankees have two outstanding MLB ready IF prospects ahead of Anthony Volpe: SS Oswald Peraza and 2B/3B Oswaldo Cabrera.
Funkhouser sounds like he should be the bass player for Parliament-Funkadelic.
Yeah, but then you recall that he has a first name and it is “Kyle,” a name that screams “white boy.” If he wants to join George Clinton he should drop the Kyle and just go as Funkhouser.
Not really. Meet Kyle:
superduperkyle.com/
RIP Super Dave
paddy,
Reading the headline, I was worried something happening to Freddie Funkhouser, especially after losing Freddie’s dad, Marty.
Seems like an easy way out for Milwaukee to try and supplant Urias like they did all year last season. Hopefully the injury isn’t too bad. I’d like to see in the lineup everyday.
The Twins have a “catcher” they could offer to New York that the Yankees are already pretty familiar with.
Who cares Brewers suck
Last year’s division champ? Yeah, sure, they suck.
This could be the year of the Urias breakout season
Cashman, please no Brantley. That experiment failed miserably last time. Get a real catcher. A real starting catcher, so at least we have one on the roster. We’ve been waiting for a starting catcher since 2016, so now is as good a time as any.
I read per CBSSports that German is out until at least June, so maybe a SP would be a common sense thing to get as well.
Wild thought here….the Yankees sign Story and move Kiner-Falefa to part time 3rd and part time catcher……until the Rohrtvedt recovers and then they deal with the infield logjam…..
So Rortvedt was hurt before the trade? Did they not discuss it during pre-trade physicals? Maybe not a big deal?
So Brewers mediocre offense is going to improve by adding 3 more mediocre players?
The Brewers are deeper offensively than they were last year with much more potential for improvement. But the story of that team is their best in baseball pitching staff.
Burnes-Woodruff-Peralta-Lauer-Houser all between the ages of 25-29, all with 3-4 years of big-league experience, none with ERA’s last year over 3.5.
Then add LHSP Aaron Ashby, he of the nasty 97 sinker, plus plus SL, plus CH, that every GM in the game was asking about last trade-deadline, and now we have another LHSP knocking on the big-league door in former 1st round pick Ethan Small.
That’s 7 of the strongest starters in the game. Depending on starter health, Ashby & Small will pitch multi-innings out of a bullpen with Suter-Cousins-Boxberger, followed by the best 8th/9th inning combo in the game with Devin Williams & Josh Hader.
On paper this pitching is even stronger than last season. This team gets to the trade-deadline near or in 1st place, and if needs offense look for them to get it then.
I just have a hard time believing Keston Hiura and Yeli have simply lost it. If down years are really a thing, I think both of these guys are going to find their swings and get back to normalcy. They both can mash and I think they both get back to their line drive ways. I’d rather not see this team built around the home run, but Counsell seems convinced that is how you win these days. “Get on and move them around” is a much better way to get your offense going and churning out runs more consistently, certainly when you don’t have the pitcher creating a hole in the order. This whole team has good speed, so if they can make contact and find the gaps, it could be really fun to watch!
Anyone hear lately if the shift is staying or going away?
Funkhouser seems like he’ll be prone or fragile all season.
Losing Kyle Funkhouser is a bigger loss than it seems. He was one of four unheralded RPs that the Tigers got solid performances from.
@761506
Funkhouser wasn’t last year. Why do you feel things will be different now? This is just a minor set back, and it is not his arm.
I wonder what Rortvedts nickname will be? Rorty or Veddy? Also, if he ever hits a home run what Sterling’s call would be? Rort hits one on the front porch?