The Brewers announced Wednesday that they’ve placed shortstop Willy Adames on the 10-day injured list with a high ankle sprain. The move is retroactive to May 16. Infielder Keston Hiura is up from Triple-A Nashville to take his spot on the roster.
Adames exited the Brewers’ game on Sunday after sustaining the injury when sliding into home plate on a sacrifice fly. The 26-year-old was in visible pain as he limped off the field after scoring the run. Manager Craig Counsell said after the game that X-rays came back negative, but president of baseball ops David Stearns acknowledged earlier this week that an IL stint was still on the table.
It’s been an odd start to the season for Adames, who a year ago this time served as a direly needed jolt to the Brewers lineup. Acquired from the Rays in a rare May trade of significance — J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen went back to Tampa Bay in what looks like a win-win deal — Adames erupted with a .285/.366/.521 slash in 413 plate appearances as a Brewer. He’s been a key to the offense again in 2022, as his nine home runs place him in a six-way tie for tops in the National League. At the same time, he’s also hitting just .208 with a lackluster .304 on-base percentage. Adames has been dogged by a .228 average on balls in play, however, and this year’s 11.5% walk rate is a career-high. Statcast pegs his “expected” batting average at a much healthier .261, and prior to the injury, it seemed safe to expect that Adames’ overall offensive output would tick upward as the season wears on.
Any change in fortune will now be on hold as Adames allows his ankle to mend, and his performance in the aftermath will of course be dependent on the extent to which the injury heals. In his absence, Milwaukee figures to turn to Luis Urias as the primary option at shortstop. It was Urias’ defensive shortcomings as a shortstop that prompted the Brewers to trade for Adames in the first place, but as a short-term option, they’ll live with any defensive woes in exchange for what has been a brilliant run at the plate. The 24-year-old Urias is hitting .298/.404/.457 in 13 games since being activated from the injured list himself.
As for Hiura, he’ll get his latest chance to deliver on the talent that made him the ninth overall selection in the 2017 draft. He delivered a mammoth .303/.368/.570 showing in 348 plate appearances as a 22-year-old rookie in 2019, but Hiura’s bat has gone backwards as his strikeout rate has mounted. Since that brilliant debut effort, he’s mustered just a .194/.282/.363 batting line while punching out in 37.5% of his plate appearances. That includes a ghastly 47.5% strikeout rate in 42 plate appearances this season, but Hiura has been on a tear since being sent down to Nashville, where he’s hit .421/.522/.895 with three homers and six strikeouts in 23 plate appearances (26.1% strikeout rate).
The Brewers have yet to provide a potential timetable for Adames’ return to the lineup, though presumably Counsell and/or Stearns will have more information prior to today’s afternoon tilt against the Rays.
Can we please DFA Cain, eat the salary, and trade for Benintendi. Cain is done
This is the last chance for Keston Hiura. How long does MIL stick with Lorenzo Cain? They really need to fix that OF.
Not good news for those that wanted to see Turang get a shot.
Turang is not on the 40-man roster so they’d need to dump someone else to bring him up just to get Turang in the bigs for 8 days. He’ll get a chance but this minor injury isn’t the right time.
Actually no they don’t. they have 2 spots open on the 40 man roster
Unless Turang has an ops over 1000 he’ll most likely get put on the 40 man at the end of the season.
It’s Keston time again.
Third times the charm?
Keep your expectations low. I know I will!
Third? More like 13th.
I know I started fights on the last forum about Adames, I’ll say it again. Rays easily won this trade, it’s worked out pretty good for the brewers as well but pitching wins ballgames and the pitchers the Rays got are on fire since being acquired
Your disability is showing again
Salaries? Blocking a star player? 2 above averages pitchers isn’t worth more than 1 average SS? Interesting take
Brewers won the trade by a landslide
Care to elaborate? Or is this simply your decree?
Those 2 pitchers have an effect on the outcome of what? Every 3rd game..? I don’t follow the Rays, but from the little bit I’ve pieced together 1 of them is still a reliever which means in the games he factors into, its (likely) only for an inning. Obviously, the starter only pitches every 5th or 6th game. Meanwhile Adames played every game until the ankle injury.
Again, I could care less about who “won” the trade, but I am still waiting for a (sensible) answer to the question I posed to you on that other thread…
How could Adames have been blocking Franco if he was so bad, as you claim, and Franco so good?
Solid point–I would call it a win-win, both teams did well, but I understand your point.
Unfortunately, providing an objective claim on this board, then supporting it, is a bit confusing for many. I love when people say “I don’t watch the Rays, but I am going to make a conclusion about their players” lol…
Both teams did well, ignore the drunken brewers fans (I guess for some, having a different opinion means you have a diSAbiliTY).
There’s really no “winner” in that trade. Both teams benefited from it. Adames wasn’t blocking Franco either. You’re thinking of it as a Adames for the two pitchers, and Franco. Adames was not going to take playing time away from the consensus #1 prospect in baseball unless he was hitting like an MVP candidate, which he wasn’t.
the rays did a good job of exchanging strong middle infield depth for other pieces, and the brewers did a good job of exchanging strong pitching depth for a sorely needed shortstop. i guarantee both teams came away happy with the outcome. realistically its less about who “won” the trade, and more about if either team would take it back given a chance, and i dont think either would.
Huira in 37 ABs has 20 K’s. He has walked 5 times. There in may be the problem.
I’m a big Huira fan and think he will turn it around but I think they made a mistake here. Turang should have been brought up. More versatility. But just my opinion. I’m kinda torn between about moving on from Cain. He is a leader but maybe the Brewers could use some hungry guys like Dahl and Turang to energize the line up. Taylor got a chance right now and has got to take advantage of it. I know it’s a long season and it’s early.Wong starting to hit. Better to have Brou up instead of Turang if he isn’t playing everyday.i get Peterson is Jack of all trades but he is better with less playing time like 3 days a week at most. I get people want Bent from KC but in any trade teams are going to want some kinda of combo of Weimer, Small, Mitchell, Ashby. I don’t want to let any of them go because they could all be up with in the year. They aren’t bench guys either. I believe they all could be very good everyday or rotation contributors.
I agree with you Stubby let’s keep our future and give them a chance instead of mortgaging everything on the now.