Brewers: Ryan Braun Returns for Exhibition Against White Sox

The last week of scrimmages found one main Brewers slugger notably absent. But it appears he may make his triumphant return in time for Opening Day.

Brewers Summer Camp has come and gone and saw a few of their main players fight through some nagging injuries. One of those players was veteran outfielder Ryan Braun.

Braun had been dealing with minor injuries (oblique, back, neck) the last couple of days, keeping him out of the lineups for the Blue-Gold World Series that went on at Miller Park. However, word broke early Wednesday that Braun will serve as the crew’s DH in the night’s exhibition against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

It’s a day-to-day look for Braun as far as his injuries go. It was a growing concern for manager Craig Counsell as Braun had sat out of intrasquad games for nearly a week. Having him ready for Opening Day was up in the air, but the likelihood were that if he were to miss it, Braun would be ready to go shortly after. But, after taking some batting practice on Tuesday, things started to look up for him.

If it comes to where Braun isn’t healthy enough to play this weekend against the Chicago Cubs, it’s probable that Brewers fans could see either Logan Morrison or even Keston Hiura as the DH for the crew.

As for the long-term, they have enough depth to cover the outfield and infield should Ryan Braun end up missing games due to injuries and setbacks. The new DH rules implemented for the NL will be beneficial not only for the short season, but for keeping Ryan Braun healthy throughout the season so he’s not missing as many games.

Earlier, we mentioned that with the DH being in place and the season being only 60 games, this role is perfect for Braun to continue playing past 2020. He’s been a player known to suffer some small injuries during the season, but with the shorter season, the prolonged maintenance that is usually required for a regular 162-game season shouldn’t be something that Braun needs to worry about.

This shortened season could help keep Braun on his feet and stay productive, meaning less time for him to get hurt. However, starting the season with some injuries already hopefully doesn’t spell bad news for him in the future.

We will probably find out if Braun is suiting up for Opening Weekend against the Cubs after tonight’s exhibition game, given how he performs and how he’s feeling. But fans really do hope they get to see Braun help the Brewers defeat the Cubs and fly the “L” at Wrigley Field.