PHOENIX -- Ryan Braun played his first Cactus League game of the year on Sunday and went 1-for-3, including a hard double-play groundout. It was a quiet day at the plate compared to his typical spring debut.
Braun is one of those players who needs only a handful of at-bats to feel ready for the regular season, and that’s particularly helpful this spring because he has been dealing with discomfort in his right shoulder.
“I’ve been working through a couple of things with my arm, hence the reason I [was designated hitter] today instead of playing first or right field,” Braun said. “I haven’t been able to throw much from either position, but I’ve gotten a ton of ground balls, a ton of fly balls and I’ve been running a lot. My legs feel good. I’ve been continuing to build up my foundation to a better and better place.
“I feel really good about where I’m at with two weeks to go before we leave here.”
Braun, entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, is poised to split time in right field this season with Avisaíl García and at first base with Justin Smoak. Braun and manager Craig Counsell have talked about how that breakdown might go, but it’s all dependent on Braun’s own health, as well as the health and production of the players around him.
Of his shoulder issue, Braun said, “I hope to get in [the field] as soon as possible. It’s just a progression that they set up. I don’t know that we have a specific date in mind as far as when I’ll get in a game defensively, but obviously the sooner the better -- with taking every precaution to make sure it’s as close to 100 percent as possible.”
Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he expects to deploy Braun in the field by the end of this week.
Hitting, however, is not a concern. Braun and Christian Yelich both logged their first spring hits in a 7-3 split-squad comeback win over the Angels, sparked by home runs from Logan Morrison (his third) and Orlando Arcia (his fifth).
“I’ve never felt like I’ve needed a lot of at-bats,” Braun said. “I’ve never really done much standing in for bullpens or live BP. I just go on there and play and swing the bat. I think that’s the best way to figure out what adjustments you need to make. Pretty successful first day. Two of the three on the barrel and I felt good.”
“That might be his last first hit of Spring Training,” Yelich said from a nearby locker. “Be sure to document that.”
‘Getting close’ to naming Opening Day starter
Counsell likes to delay setting a pitching rotation as long as possible, given that one blister or bout of “dead arm” can change things. But when he was asked on Sunday about who would get the ball on Opening Day against the Cubs, the manager said, “I think I’m getting close” to making it public.
Brandon Woodruff is the frontrunner for the honor after his breakthrough 2019 season, but two factors give prognosticators pause. One is the fact that every Brewers Opening Day starter since Kyle Lohse in 2015 has gone on to have a disappointing season, leading Counsell to joke about a curse. Another factor is the off-day in the schedule on March 27, the day after the Brewers’ season opener. That allows for some creativity.
“Look, I’m not trying to keep a secret here,” Counsell said. “Things happen. If something happens that makes us consider alternative scenarios, the fact is we do have a day to play with. That’s part of how we have operated and how we have to operate. It’s one reason that you keep it in the bag for a while.”
Woodruff’s next spring start is scheduled for Tuesday against the Royals in Surprise, Ariz.
Urias cleared to hit
Infielder Luis Urías, mounting a comeback from January surgery for a broken hamate bone in his left hand, has been facing live pitching since getting clearance from his doctor on Friday. The first pitcher he faced was Brewers newcomer David Phelps.
Urías even got his first hit by pitch out of the way sometime before Sunday morning, Counsell said. It was a changeup, and Urías was fine.
Using the early days of Spring Training as a guide, hitters typically get about three days of live batting practice before they play in a game. That means Urias should be ready sometime this week, perhaps later on when the Brewers are home three straight days from Thursday-Saturday.
Last call
Corey Knebel is hoping to get more clarity this week about his upcoming schedule as he comes back from Tommy John surgery. His next benchmark is facing hitters, but Knebel also has a major life milestone ahead because his wife, Danielle, is expected to give birth to the couple’s second child in the last week of March. Knebel’s most recent bullpen was particularly encouraging, Counsell said.
“When you watch Corey spin a curveball, it’s like, ‘Wow, that’s really impressive,’” he said.
Up next
Milwaukee will host the Mariners at 9:05 p.m. CT on Monday in the Brewers' first night game at American Family Fields of Phoenix since 2006, when they played an exhibition against Japan's World Baseball Classic team. Corbin Burnes starts for the Brewers, and Lorenzo Cain, Yelich and Keston Hiura are all in the tentative lineup. The game will air via audio webcast at brewers.com.