Brewers: How close is Luis Urias to playing in a game?

Is Milwaukee Brewers infielder Luis Urias almost ready to make his Spring debut? His return appears like it’s just around the corner…

When the Milwaukee Brewers traded for infielder Luis Urias, the team expected him to compete for the starting shortstop role with Orlando Arcia. However, he’s spent Spring Training watching drills instead of participating in them due to having suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist over the winter.

Urias has been cleared to begin baseball activities and he should be able to appear in games shortly.

How was Urias acquired?

Urias came to the Brewers with Eric Lauer from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Zach Davies and Trent Grisham.

What happened to his left wrist?

He fractured his hamate bone while playing winter ball in Mexico, and required surgery to repair it. His initial timetable to return was 6-to-8 weeks and that was about four weeks ago. Urias appears to be ahead of schedule for his return.

Is there any chance Urias makes it back for Opening Day?

It’s possible, but not likely, that Urias makes the Opening Day roster. Opening Day is on March 26th against the Chicago Cubs. If Urias returned to the lineup on Monday, he would have about a month to get ready for the first game of the year. He probably won’t be back in the lineup for at least a week or two, so he’s realistically looking at about two weeks to get into game shape.

It doesn’t help that the Brewers have a lot of depth in their infield. Eric Sogard, Brock Holt, and Arcia are likely ahead of Urias on the depth chart at shortstop.

Urias should be featuring in games for the Brewers before mid-March, but he’s probably looking at a week or two in extended Spring Training followed by an assignment to Triple-A for a few weeks before he makes his in-season debut for the Brewers. Urias can still play an important role in the season, but a spot on the Opening Day roster isn’t likely at this point.