C. Gomez edges closer to return to full duty

MILWAUKEE -- If Carlos Gomez has his way, he will be back in the Brewers' starting lineup on Monday after being limited for the past week by a left wrist injury.

Limited to pinch-running and playing defense since Aug. 31 because of a sprained left wrist, Gomez added pinch-hitting duties to his resume on Sunday, giving the Brewers their only run in a 9-1 loss to the Cardinals with a ninth-inning RBI single. He said he hopes to be back in the leadoff spot on Monday night against the Marlins.

"I don't know if they'll let me, but I know I'm in," Gomez said, adding later, "Right now, the only [place] to be is in the field. It's no matter [about the injury], I'm happy and excited that I can come back to the field again, do the stuff that I love."

Gomez was examined prior to Sunday's game by head team physician William Raasch, who cleared him to play. Even before that checkup, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke discussed with his coaches how to work Gomez back into the lineup.

Despite a recent slump -- Gomez was in a 1-for-15 funk before his single off Adam Wainwright on Sunday -- the Brewers are leaning toward restoring Gomez to leadoff duties.

"We talked about it today. I think that's what we'll do," Roenicke said on Sunday morning. "It kind of depends on talking to him and where he is. If he would feel more comfortable down somewhere, we'll do that. He hasn't really been gone that long, so it's more on physically what he can do.

"We'll see with Gomey what he's like when he comes back. I think there has to be, probably, a little apprehension when he goes to swing. We'll kind of see how he gets through this period until he gets confident with it."

Gomez said on Saturday the biggest worry is how the wrist will hold up when he swings and misses.

"That's part of what bothers you," Roenicke added, "because if he feels it again, it's pretty hard to just let it go and swing hard again. I think he can [dial back] some, it's just -- you get a fastball inside, what do you do? You can't say, 'Well, I'm just going to swing 80 percent,' when you know you'll never get the bat head there if you do that. That's the hard part about it."