Brewers: Why is Luis Urias having his wrist checked out?

It was revealed over the weekend that Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Luis Urias was brought to the United States to have his wrist looked at. What does this mean for his availability for Spring Training?

It’s believed that Luis Urias suffered a wrist injury while playing winter ball in Mexico. The extent isn’t known yet, but it’s concerning enough for the Brewers to fly Urias in to have a specialist check him out. Could this delay the start of Urias’ career in Milwaukee?

How was Urias acquired?

Urias came to the Milwaukee Brewers with starter Eric Lauer from the San Diego Padres in a trade for outfielder Trent Grisham and starter Zach Davies. It was widely believed that Urias was brought in specifically to push Orlando Arcia for the starting shortstop role.

Does anyone know anything about Urias’ injury?

Urias was playing in the Mexican winter league for Obregon. In 30 games with Obregon, Urias slashed .288/.400/.458 with five homers and seven steals in 14 attempts. He started to experience wrist soreness during the playoffs, and it was bad enough that he needed to be shut down.

He’s scheduled for an evaluation in the middle of next week when Urias, and the Brewers, will learn his exact status.

What would an injury mean to the competition at shortstop?

It really depends on how long Urias is out. If it’s just a sprain, Urias could get a clean bill of health a few days into Spring Training. But if he needs surgery, Urias could be out much longer.

If Urias needed to miss significant time, it would mean that Arcia would start Spring Training with only Eric Sogard as realistic competition for the every day starting shortstop job. Arcia would go from a guy competing for his spot to having an every day role without question.

The acquisition of Urias was a clear message to Arcia that the days of his unquestioned status as the starting shortstop were over and he would have to look over his shoulder for the first time in his career. With Urias potentially missing time with his wrist issue, the Brewers would again have to rely on Arcia as the starter until Urias could return.