Brewers: Injury Updates On Rowdy Tellez and Jesse Winker

The Milwaukee Brewers have been without two left-handed hitters for quite some time. Rowdy Tellez was initially placed on the IL on July 5 with forearm inflammation but then sustained a finger injury that has delayed his return. Jesse Winker has been on the IL since July 26 with an injury diagnosis of back spasms.

Recently there have been some updates as towards their progress as they look to return to the Brewers from injury. Here is the latest news surrounding these two players.

The Brewers have some injury updates on Rowdy Tellez and Jesse Winker.

Brewers injury update: Rowdy Tellez

On August 8 the Brewers sent Rowdy Tellez on a minor league rehab assignment with the Nashville Sounds. He went one for four in his rehab debut and scored on a wild pitch. His second game was rained out and he will now play a double header later today, August 10.

Brewers injury update: Jesse Winker

Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel indicated that Jesse Winker is expected to join the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on a rehab assignment for their upcoming series in Cedar Rapids. That match up begins on Tuesday, August 15.

Where do Rowdy Tellez and Jesse Winker fit in upon returning from the IL?

There has been no indication as to how long each of these minor league rehab assignments will last. 20 days is the maximum amount of time a non-pitcher can spend rehabbing back from injury while on minor league assignment. Because both players were struggling prior to being placed on the IL it is not unreasonable to think that the Brewers will want them to get in a lot of at-bats prior to potentially returning to the big league roster.

Once healthy and deemed ready to return there is potential that either one of these players could see some time as the designated hitter for the Brewers. Milwaukee added first baseman Carlos Santana at the trade deadline and Jesse Winker is not a strong defender, so their path to big league playing time this year will solely depend upon their offense.

Another option would be cutting ties with one or either player. This is a more likely scenario for Jesse Winker because he is scheduled to be a free agent at season's end anyway. Rowdy Tellez, who is out of minor league options, has one more year of team control remaining and is more likely to remain rostered.

We should have answers as to the future of both of these players by the end of August/early September. A lot can happen before then, but it will be interesting to see how the Brewers handle their returns from injury.