For the Milwaukee Brewers or any MLB team, the goal with spring training is to prepare for the start of the season without anyone getting hurt in the process. While inevitable when you have professional athletes running around for weeks, it is deeply irritating when a player gets hurt when the games don't even count yet.
The Brewers, in particular, need to get through camp healthy is a necessity. The team did not make many roster additions this offseason and with Milwaukee's departures on both sides of the ball, the Brewers are not overly deep at the moment unless you are very bullish on the organization's prospects.
Unfortunately, the Brewers are off to a rough start to achieving that goal as fans got a pair of brutal injury updates on Blake Perkins and JB Bukauskas.
Perkins fouled a Freddy Peralta offering off his leg in a live BP session.
β Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 22, 2025
Also, bad news for JB Bukauskas as he has a significant lat injury. Heβs deciding between surgery or rehab.
So, depth already being dinged for the Brewers.
Brewers Injury Update: Blake Perkins and JB Bukauskas already out with injuries
Thankfully, the core of the Brewers' roster was spared by the injury bug and the injuries came at some positions of relative strength. Perkins was already going to be struggling for playing time with the sheer amount of outfield talent Milwaukee has and Bukauskas' health had him coming into camp as a question mark already.
The problem comes with the aforementioned depth which has now taken another hit. While it is absolutely true that Perkins' shortcomings at the plate are frustrating, his defense gives him a high floor compared to the team's other outfield options going into 2025. Now, Perkins' broken shin takes him out of the conversation altogether and could be a big boost to Manuel Margot's roster chances.
Bukauskas' case might be a more dire situation. Not only do the Brewers not have a crazy amount of bullpen depth especially after the Devin Williams trade and Bukauskas has the arm talent to be a force out of the bullpen. Unfortunately, a lat injury is the latest in a line of ailments that have cost Bukauskas so much playing time in recent years and this injury could force the Brewers' hand and cost him his job.