Brewers news: Sal Frelick's timeline, Jake Bauers' injury scare, Braden Shewmake free agency

The Milwaukee Brewers' West Coast road trip is off to an eventful start. A five-hour flight delay in Milwaukee pushed the team's arrival in California back significantly, creating an unusual beginning to a six-game swing through San Francisco and Anaheim. The Brewers understandably got off to a slow start in their first game against the Giants on Monday night, but bounced back in a major way with an 8-2 victory in game two of the series last night.

While their first of two West Coast road trips over the next three weeks continues, the Brewers' front office is busy searching for ways to improve the roster ahead of Monday's trade deadline. However, the potential additions that Matt Arnold and company will make over the next five days aren't the only upcoming roster activity the Brewers are anticipating over the next few weeks. As their road trip kicked off, the Brewers received encouraging news on one of their injured players, and avoided what briefly looked like an IL stint for one of their key offensive contributors.

Sal Frelick expected to return from shoulder injury in early to mid-August

On July 18, the Brewers placed Frelick on the IL due to pain in his throwing shoulder. Frelick, who played through an oblique injury earlier in the season, felt the injury pop up while making a throw from right field, and imaging confirmed that a stint on the IL was required. Frelick received a cortisone shot last week, and the Brewers announced on Tuesday afternoon that they expect the Gold Glove outfielder to return to the active roster in early to mid-August.

It feels aggressive to assume that Frelick will return for the Brewers' upcoming homestand, which begins on August 3rd and concludes on the 9th of the month, especially considering the 26-year-old outfielder will almost certainly require a rehab assignment that has yet to begin. However, the Brewers' next West Coast road trip, which will begin on August 10th, is certainly not out of the question.

In Frelick's stead, rookie outfielder Luis Lara is expected to see more playing time. Lara is off to a strong start in his first 15 games in MLB, with a solid slash line of .289/.391/.447 to prove it. Between Lara and Bauers, the Brewers certainly have the bats to fill Frelick's vacancy, though the latter is currently dealing with his own injury.

Jake Bauers won't require an IL stint despite fractured right big toe

Following Monday night's game against the Giants, Bauers underwent imaging after fouling a ball off of his right foot. Initial scans revealed what appeared to be a fracture line, but advanced imaging determined it was a chronic fracture rather than a new injury. As a result, the Brewers will manage Bauers' foot issue symptomatically, with Bauers stating he was available to pinch-hit on Tuesday night, if needed.

Bauers has been an important piece of the Brewers' success this year. The 30-year-old first baseman and corner outfielder currently leads the team in home runs with 18 while ranking second in RBI (60) and walks (52). Had Bauers' toe injury proved to be more significant, it may have pushed the Brewers to look for a suitable replacement ahead of Monday's trade deadline. However, Bauers avoids a stint on the IL and should be back in the starting lineup as soon as the swelling in his right toe subsides.

Braden Shewmake rejects Brewers' outright assignment, elects free agency after recent DFA

In order to account for David Hamilton's temporary absence from the roster due to a hamstring strain that kept him on the IL for two and a half weeks, the Brewers acquired utility infielder Braden Shewmake from the Houston Astros in exchange for cash considerations. Shewmake was never expected to spend a prolonged amount of time with the Brewers' big-league club, but the former first-round pick did turn in a multi-hit performance in one of his four games with the Brew Crew.

As expected, Shewmake, who is out of minor league options, was designated for assignment upon Hamilton's return. He cleared waivers, which came as a slight surprise given his decent 92 OPS+ this year, and was outrighted to Triple-A by the Brewers. However, because Shewmake was outrighted by the New York Yankees earlier this season, he was able to reject that assignment and become a free agent instead, which the 28-year-old infielder elected to do on Tuesday afternoon. Shewmake will now search for his next big-league opportunity after already spending time with three different major league organizations this year.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow