Braun returns to Milwaukee to visit charity

MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun was back in Milwaukee on Wednesday to reconnect with teammates and meet with the staff of at least one of the charities for which he had done work, though it was unclear whether the suspended slugger would have a visible presence at Miller Park during the Brewers' final homestand.

The Brewers have five home contests remaining, including Wednesday night's game against the Cubs. Major League rules allow Braun to visit the ballpark, providing he is off the field before gates open to the public.

"He just came in to visit," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He called me a while ago, and we talked. He wanted to come in, but he didn't want it to be a distraction. I told him it wouldn't be, so he came in. And I'm really glad he did. He looked good; I think all the guys were really happy to see him."

Braun did not formally address the team. "No, he wasn't here to do that," Roenicke said. "He was just in to say hi. He misses the game, and he misses the guys. So he wanted to come in and say hi."

On Wednesday afternoon, Braun delivered lunch and spoke to employees of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. Last year, he served as the honorary chair of AIDS Walk Wisconsin, an event that raised $361,392 for HIV prevention, care and treatment services.

Braun has stayed mostly out of the public eye since accepting a season-ending suspension from MLB on July 22, but he has spent the past month issuing apologies for his transgressions. On Aug. 22, he issued a statement acknowledging taking banned substances to recover from a leg injury late in the 2011 season and vowing to "share the lessons I learned with others so they don't repeat my mistakes."

"Moving forward," Braun said then, "I want to be part of the solution and no longer part of the problem."

There were no indications Wednesday that Braun would participate in a long-awaited press conference to address some of the questions left unanswered in his written statement.

"For me, he doesn't need to," Roenicke said. "He's made a statement enough for me, and I think we just need to just kind of move on with this. If he decides to [say more], great. That's his decision, but for me, it doesn't need to happen. He's already said what happened, and what he needs to. That's fine with me, and I'm sure it's fine with most of the guys."