One of the unfortunate realities of sports are injuries. No matter the game, escaping a season without any sort of injury is nearly impossible. Sometimes the injury bug bites some people harder than others. Such is the case for one Milwaukee Brewers pitcher.
Lost in the shuffle of the Blake Perkins injury and subsequent signings of outfielders Manuel Margot and Mark Canha was the news that pitcher JB Bukauskas was feared to miss a lot of time with what was reported as a "significant lat injury" by Todd Rosiak. At the time of initial reports, there was discussion of whether surgery or rehab would be the best course of recovery. We now have the answer.
JB Bukauskas will have surgery on his injured right lat and need 9-10 months to recover.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 25, 2025
It’s the fourth time Bukauskas has injured the same lat.
“It sounds weird but I’m excited,” he said. “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and finally get it fixed.”
Brewers News: JB Bukauskas to have season-ending lat surgery
There is no good time for an injury, but losing a guy before the real season even starts is pretty rough. While the Brewers have other relief options for the late innings, Bukauskas was expected to get the chance to cover meaningful innings before needing season-ending lat surgery.
This is a pretty big blow, as the Brewers could definitely use his production in their bullpen. In his first stint with the big league club back in 2023, Bukauskas pitched in five games, striking out six batters in 6 innings pitched. After starting the 2024 season with Triple A Nashville, he was called up and made 6 more appearances last spring, once again striking out six over six innings before a lat injury ended his 2024 campaign as well.
Since Bukauskas was on a minor league deal after being DFA'd earlier in the offseason, he will qualify as a minor league free agent next offseason. Whether the Brewers take one more flyer on him, or let another team try is yet to be seen. At just 28 years old, it feels like he will get at least one more shot at playing after the surgery.