PEORIA, Ariz. -- Adrian Houser is expecting to make a big impact in the Brewers' rotation in 2020 and the 27-year-old right-hander’s sore right thumb won’t put that in jeopardy.

As a precaution, Houser was removed from his start in the Brewers' "B" game against the White Sox on Monday due to thumb soreness, but the Brewers don’t expect the injury to hinder him.

“Got all the work in. It was more of a precautionary move," Houser said. "Just didn’t want to risk something getting further. Little fatigue and tightness in my thumb, but other than that, it was a pretty good outing. Stuff was coming out well. Pitches were moving how I wanted them to move. It was a pretty good outing overall.

“It hasn’t happened really before. I’ve had little stuff there, when you get back to throwing the baseball again, but it was the first time it’s really flared up like that.”

Houser pitched well in his first full season with the Brewers, and showed versatility as he made 18 starts and was effective out of the bullpen going 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA in 17 relief appearances.

“Yeah, he was good. It’s very minor,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s nothing that’s going to affect him moving forward. He was at 43 or 44 pitches, so we just thought it was good enough.”

Braun has sore right shoulder
Ryan Braun is on the verge of playing in his first Cactus League game of the season, but the veteran outfielder is dealing with soreness in his right shoulder.

“Nothing major. He wouldn’t have been on the field yet, anyway,” Counsell said. “Yeah, but not from throwing, from hitting. It’s not really a throwing issue.”

Braun is transitioning into a larger role at first base, as well as playing one of the corner outfield spots, all while dealing with his shoulder discomfort. Counsell noted that he still plans to get Braun in the lineup by the end of this week.

“His work’s been great. He’s been working hard, for sure, on that,” he said. “I feel like we’re in a good spot ... we’ve got a good plan going forward, still.”

Worth noting
• Left-hander Brett Anderson was scratched from his start on Tuesday vs. the Padres due to flu-like symptoms. Shelby Miller made the start in Anderson’s place and pitched well, tossing two scoreless innings in Milwaukee’s 9-0 loss to the Padres. Miller is competing for a spot on the Brewers’ 26-man roster.

“Compared to the last couple of years, I feel like I’m pretty strong,” Miller said. “Arm feels good. Feels quick. Mechanically and physically, I feel pretty strong. I know it’s early, but the season can sneak up on you pretty fast. I’ll just do what I can to impress them and make the team.”

• Infielder Luis Urías is progressing well from his broken hamate bone in his left hand. Urías is inching closer to a return to games, but it is still unclear if he’ll have enough time to break camp with the team.

“He’s going to take batting practice on the field for the first time today. The next step is velocity, so we’ll work toward that at the end of the week -- which means off-the-machine velocity,” Counsell said. “He’s going to stand in for a live BP today. He won’t swing, but we’ll get some velocity in the cage working at the end of the week. Then it’s facing live pitching.”

Up next
Brandon Woodruff will be on the mound for the Brewers on Wednesday, as they take on the White Sox at 2:05 p.m. CT at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Woodruff will make his third start of the spring after tossing two innings and allowing one run vs. the Dodgers on Feb. 28. The game can be seen on MLB.TV and Fox Sports Milwaukee.