Uecker misses Tuesday's game as precaution
Brewers broadcaster mildly concussed by foul ball during BP Monday
MILWAUKEE -- Brewers Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker was hospitalized overnight Monday, and he was urged to skip Tuesday's game out of what a club spokesperson termed "an abundance of caution" after Uecker suffered a mild concussion during batting practice prior to Monday's 8-5 loss against the Royals at Miller Park.
Uecker, 81, was in high spirits as he joked with reporters about being struck on the head by a baseball that had struck the "L" screen near the pitcher's mound and caromed back over the batting cage, saying he was fine. He even joked about the incident on the air with broadcast partner Joe Block.
But according to Brewers spokesperson Tyler Barnes, Uecker began to feel "out of sorts" as the game progressed, and he was evaluated by team doctors at the stadium after the seventh inning. They sent Uecker to Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin for further evaluation.
Merely as a precaution, Uecker was kept overnight. He was convinced on Tuesday to skip the Brewers-Royals game in order to facilitate a nice, long break since Uecker was previously scheduled not to travel on the team's trip to Kansas City and Colorado. Beginning last season, he started skipping some longer Brewers road trips.
"The first and only priority right now is ensuring Bob's health and comfort," Barnes said.
Jeff Levering, who joined the Brewers' broadcast team this season to fill in when Uecker takes games off, was set to call Tuesday's action alongside Block.