Brewers to be Down 3B Luis Urias for Around 2 Months With Hamstring Injury

It took all of one game of the 2023 for the Milwaukee Brewers to suffer their first major injury blow to the 26-man roster.

In the bottom of the ninth of the Crew's eventual 4-0 loss to the Cubs in Thursday's Opening Day matchup, third baseman Luis Urias hit a comebacker that deflected off Chicago pitcher Michael Fulmer. After collecting himself and locating the ball, the right-hander narrowly threw Urias out at first for the second out of the inning.

To try and beat out the throw, Urias dove headfirst into the bag but immediately reached back and clutched his hamstring. After that, he limped his way back to the dugout and fans awaited word on the severity of the injury.

Yesterday, it was announced that 3B Luis Urias would miss upwards of two months with a hamstring injury.

According to multiple reports, the timeline for Urias' recovery is six to eight weeks, meaning the starting third baseman will be out until at least mid-May. Though according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, the team is expecting the longer version of that prognosis.

Luckily, the Brewers have the manpower to get by in Urias' absence. Mike Brosseau, who led the majors in OPS during spring training, got the start in Saturday's game. Newcomer Brian Anderson, who has played the first two games in right field, can take some starts at third as well. Infielders Owen Miller and Brice Turang could man the position in a pinch as well.

This will make it two straight seasons where Urias missed a significant chunk of the beginning of the regular season. In 2022, the 25-year-old suffered a quad injury during spring training that caused him to delay his season debut until May 3rd.

Part of the Brewers' quest to return to the playoffs after missing them in 2022 for the first time in five years hinges on a Urias bounceback season. After a breakout 2021 season that saw him bat .249 with a .789 OPS, 25 doubles, and 23 homers, last season saw all of those numbers dip down to a .239 average, .739 OPS, 17 doubles, and 16 homers.

If there was one positive out of the situation, it was that prospect Joey Wiemer ended up being added to the roster when Urias was placed on the injured list. The top 5 prospect made his debut in center on Saturday and had a double in a 3-1 Brewers win over the Cubs.

Injuries are a fact of life in Major League Baseball and that reality became evident early for the Brewers in 2023. Hopefully the major ones are limited going forward.