SAN DIEGO – There are weeks during which teams just cruise along and then there are weeks like the best-in-MLB Brewers find themselves in the midst of, with so many moving pieces it’s difficult to keep track.
Take right-hander Bryse Wilson, who pitched one day, was designated for assignment the next, cleared waivers two days after that and elected free agency, and re-signed with the Brewers on Tuesday and was back in the bullpen like he never left.
Or infielder Jihwan Bae, who was released by the Mets last week, signed a Minor League deal with the Brewers on Friday and was contributing to a win in the big leagues that same night.
Or William Contreras and Christian Yelich, two mainstays of the top of Milwaukee’s batting order for years, who found themselves batting in unfamiliar territory – sixth and seventh – on Monday night.
Now the Brewers are shifting around their infielders to cover for injuries, starting with Andrew Vaughn’s rare starts at third base and now Platinum Glove Award-winning second baseman Brice Turang’s move back to shortstop for Tuesday’s game against the Padres at Petco Park.
It’s certainly not foreign for Turang, a former first-round pick who was drafted as a shortstop and rose through the Brewers’ system as a shortstop before making his Major League debut at second base because shortstop belonged to Willy Adames. But it had been a while. Tuesday marked his first Major League start at short since 10 starts there in 2023.
“I think there’s a definite adjustment to it because he’s played the other side of the diamond for a very long time, and done it very well,” said Brewers third base coach and infield guru Matt Erickson. “Now, to his credit, probably once a week he will take ground balls from the other side and throw balls across the diamond to keep that feel, because he knows this is always a possibility based on injury or roster moves.”
Injuries precipitated this shift. Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt is on the injured list with a right hamstring strain and not expected back until late August, per the Brewers’ most recent injury report on Tuesday. His primary backup, Joey Ortiz, is sidelined temporarily with a stiff neck. And the Brewers’ other shortstop, David Hamilton, played third on Tuesday as a defensive upgrade over Vaughn, who started two recent games at third in a pinch.
Turang has been increasing his pregame reps at shortstop in recent days to be ready for this, and played shortstop for the final four innings of Sunday’s 10-inning win over the Twins.
It turned out to be like riding a bike.
“The other day, you could see a little timing issue on some of the balls. I think he played some of them a little carefully,” Erickson said. “And today, he had the footwork much better in the ground-ball routine. I think getting back on the horse and getting some reps [helped]. He looked much more free, and threw the ball with rhythm today in practice.”
That’s why the Brewers practice for every circumstance, even if it’s odd to see Vaughn at third base or Jackson Chourio – a one-time infield prospect – playing around at shortstop.
“To ask Andrew Vaughn to go and play third base for the third time in his career, you’re asking for trouble,” manager Pat Murphy said. “I think [Turang] will be fine. There’s things he’s not used to and I don’t want to do it every day. I’m glad that Cooper and Joey are going to be back soon, barring a setback.”
In the meantime, Turang was ready to help.
“We anticipate and prepare for the worst,” Erickson said. “But we hope we can keep guys in positions where we think they can have the most success.”