Milwaukee Brewers: Could Ryan Braun require a DL stint?

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun singled and stole a base in the top of the fifth inning on Saturday evening against the Mets. He was replaced by Hernan Perez in the bottom of the fifth inning. Could he end up on the DL?

Ryan Braun left the game on Saturday with back tightness. His back was acting up on Friday, but he was given the green light to start on Saturday. Details on his status moving forward weren’t announced. An announcement on Braun will likely come on Sunday morning, but it’s hard to see him in the starting lineup after leaving a game early.

Has Braun missed time with back issues before?

Yes, he has. He missed time with similar issues in April and May of last year. He was able to avoid the DL both times. He did miss time with calf issues last year.

If Braun misses time, who comes up?

Brett Phillips is the obvious name to fill-in, but Christian Yelich is also due back soon. The Milwaukee Brewers could simply swap Yelich for Braun on the DL. They could also make a move to bring up Phillips and DL Braun. Keon Broxton is off to a hot start, and may also be on the team’s radar for a call up.

The Milwaukee Brewers have outfield depth to spare, and may choose to err on the side of caution with Braun. They have the players to fill in for a few weeks, and it makes zero sense to push Braun when he has a minor back issue. Without proper rest, a back tightness could turn into a back strain, and that means a over a month on the shelf.

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Allowing Braun sit for 10 days and heal properly may end up as the right call. That’s assuming that his current bout of back tightness is serious.