Milwaukee Brewers: Latest on Lorenzo Cain & Travis Shaw

The Milwaukee Brewers fell 3-1 against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. The loss is concerning, but not as worrying as the injuries to Travis Shaw and Lorenzo Cain.

Milwuakee Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw exited Tuesday’s game with a bruised right knee after getting hit by a pitch in the second inning. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain left the game when he aggravated an intercostal strain in his rib cage after the fourth inning. What’s the latest on these injuries, and how will they impact the playoff push?

Craig Counsell says Lorenzo Cain is dealing with an intercostal issue suffered on a swing a few days ago. Travis Shaw’s knee stiffened up on him but X-rays were negative.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) September 19, 2018

Will Travis Shaw return on Wednesday?

While his knee bruise is surely painful, it probably isn’t going to cause Shaw to miss more than a game or two. Shaw is scheduled for an evaluation on Wednesday, and is considered ‘day-to-day’ at this point. The good news is that x-rays were negative and Shaw appears to have avoided a serious injury.

Shaw could miss a few days, but this shouldn’t extend into the Wild Card game or the playoffs.

How about Lorenzo Cain?

Counsell on Cain injury: "I just thought he took some swings tonight in his second at-bat that didn’t look good, so we took him out of the game. We’ll see how we’re looking [Wednesday]. He’s pretty adamant about wanting to play, but we have to be careful with this thing, too.”
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 19, 2018

Cain is much more troubling than Shaw. Cain reportedly felt a twinge in his intercostal a few days ago, and felt it again on Tuesday. It sounds like Cain avoided an intercostal strain, but may need a few days off to get back to 100%. Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell sounds like he wants to play it safe, and that’s exactly what he needs to do at this point in the season.

Intercostal strains are graded on a scale of 1-3. A Grade 1 strain would mean that Cain would miss a few weeks, but could return for the playoffs. A grade 3 strain would require surgery.

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The Milwaukee Brewers may have just dodged two huge bullets. The loss stings, but losing Cain or Shaw for an extended period would have a serious impact on the Wild Card chase. Both could miss Wednesday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, but they should return to the lineup within the next few days. Cain is the one to keep an eye on, as intercostal injuries can take time to recover from, but the fact that it’s called a ‘sore rib cage’ and not an ‘intercostal strain’ is good news.

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