Brewers' rookie shortstop lands on IL, former Pirates utility man replaces him on roster

The "dog days" of the 2026 MLB season are upon us. New injuries are seemingly popping up every day, young pitchers are reaching career highs in innings pitched, and teams are generally just physically exhausted.

However, the relentless 162-game marathon persists, and the teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, who have World Series aspirations in 2026, need to continue finding ways to string together wins despite their grueling scheduling stretch of 17 days in 17 games, which includes two West Coast road trips. That process will now be made more difficult as rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt has landed on the IL with a hamstring strain.

Brewers fans were perhaps expecting to see Joey Ortiz land on the IL before today's series finale against the Minnesota Twins. Ortiz exited last night's game in the 4th inning with what is being called an upper back injury. However, it's Pratt who ultimately lands on the IL. Brewers manager Pat Murphy noted that Pratt's hamstring injury popped up during last night's game, and an MRI in the time since revealed that the severity of the strain will require a stint on the IL.

Cooper Pratt lands on 10-day IL with hamstring strain, Ji Hwan Bae replaces him on active 26-man roster

It's tough timing for Pratt, who was in the process of finding his footing in the big leagues. Though Pratt's .401 OPS over the last seven games suggests that he hasn't been "in form" as of late, his season-long slash line of .272/.352/.368 proves that he was certainly holding his own during his first 44 games in the majors. Paired with his excellent defense, Pratt has racked up 1.2 fWAR during his first two months in MLB, which ranks 10th among major league shortstops during that span.

Pratt's injury isn't thought to be too severe. In fact, Murphy noted that Pratt felt as if he could play through it before the MRI results indicated that a stint on the IL was required. There's hope that Pratt's first trip on the big-league injured list will be close to the minimum 10-day stint.

To fill the void left by Pratt's injury on the active roster, the Brewers were forced to make two moves -- one to add another big-league infielder to their organization, and another to open up a 40-man roster spot for that new acquisition. In anticipation of either Pratt or Ortiz landing on the injured list, the Brewers signed former Pittsburgh Pirates utility man Ji Hwan Bae to a minor league contract earlier today, and promoted him to the active roster upon Pratt's placement on the IL.

Bae has a career slashline of .223/.294/.293 over 163 career games in the big leagues. His 62 OPS+ indicates that he won't offer much value on the offensive side of the ball while filling in on the Brewers' roster, and though he has the ability to play just about everywhere on the diamond, his defense grades out as league-average. Prior to signing with the Brewers, Bae was playing for the New York Mets' Triple-A squad where he maintained a decent .728 OPS in 91 games this year.

To make room for Bae on the 40-man roster, the Brewers designated Drew Rom for assignment. It's tough news for Rom, who seemingly did all that he was asked and was DFA'd as the result of an injury to someone else. Rom posted a 3.18 ERA in five appearances with the Brewers this year, and had a 2.20 ERA in 31 appearances out of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds' bullpen. The Brewers are certainly hoping Rom clears waivers and remains with the organization as valuable pitching depth in Triple-A.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow