Milwaukee Brewers: Why did Keston Hiura exit early on Friday? *UPDATE*
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura needed to leave the game early on Friday night. This is just a short term issue, right?
The Milwaukee Brewers fell to the Chicago Cubs on Friday night, 7-1. The team lost ground in the Wild Card race, and second baseman Keston Hiura needed to leave early. How bad is the injury Hiura suffered, and will he miss time?
What happened to Hiura?
Hiura left the game during the fifth inning with hamstring discomfort. He hit a grounder to Cubs shortstop Javy Baez, ran it out, and came up limping and grabbing at the back of his leg. Corey Spangenburg replaced Hiura in the field in the bottom of the inning.
Is Hiura available on Saturday?
Hiura was sent back to Milwaukee to undergo further tests on his hamstring on Friday night, and he was placed on the Injured List on Saturday. It looks like the tests didn’t come up in his favor.
He won’t be available for at least 10 days, but there’s a non-zero chance that he won’t return in 2019. Hamstring injuries take time to heal, and the Milwaukee Brewers only have 28 games remaining on the schedule. Time isn’t on their side.
Who’s filling Hiura’s roster spot?
Travis Shaw was called up from Triple-A as Hiura was placed on the IL. ‘Filling a roster spot’ is an accurate description of Shaw’s 2019 season.
How bad is this for the Brewers
Really bad.
Hiura owns a .301/.369/.571 slash line in 70 games in the Majors. He’s bashed 16 homers, stolen nine bases in 12 attempts, and looks like he can handle second base at baseball’s highest level. He’s been everything that was advertised for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019, and was already their second best hitter.
The team will have to fight for a Wild Card spot without the help of Hiura. The Milwaukee Brewers have had their depth tested this year, and they haven’t looked nearly as strong in 2019 as they did last year.
The Milwaukee Brewers are five games behind the Cubs for the second wild card. They need to win both of the next two games, and then get hot during the stretch run to be in a position to go to the playoffs. Now they’ll have to do it without Hiura for at least a few weeks. The Brewers aren’t eliminated from contention just yet, but this is a serious blow to their chances.