Injuries & Moves: Wilson (oblique), Mears (forearm) throw bullpen sessions

September 17th, 2024

LATEST NEWS

Sept. 16: RHP dealing with forearm tightness; status uncertain
Payamps, a key part of the Brewers' late-inning bullpen contingent, left Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks in Arizona with forearm tightness. He entered the game in the seventh inning with a one-run lead and two outs and only needed five pitches to retire Ketel Marte. He was set to return to pitch the eighth, but didn’t after informing pitching coach Chris Hook that he had tightness in his right forearm.

"We don’t know yet,” manager Pat Murphy said of Payamps' status prior to Monday’s opener of a crucial three-game series with the Phillies. “He’s had this thing. He’s going to try and play catch. He’s had this, but he hadn’t thrown in a while so I was a little surprised that it came after [only] five pitches."

Payamps is 3-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 62 appearances this season. He has six saves in nine chances to go along with 19 holds. He’s struck out 50 batters and walked 17 in 53 2/3 innings.

10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP (right oblique strain)
Expected return: Potentially end of September
Wilson took a tough-luck loss in Cincinnati on Sept. 1, when he pitched parts of five innings and was struck by a comebacker to end the game. He was injured along the way and underwent an MRI exam on Sept. 2. Wilson threw a bullpen session on Sept. 17 and expects to throw another mound session on Sept. 20 that simulates multiple innings. (Last updated: Sept. 17)

RHP (right forearm inflammation)
Expected return:
Potentially end of September
After two subpar outings in St. Louis early in the road trip, throwing two-thirds of an inning in each and allowing a combined five runs, Mears confessed to the staff on Aug. 24 that he had discomfort in his pitching arm and was placed on the 15-day injured list the next day, retroactive to Aug. 23. It took several weeks for Mears to get back on track, but he threw a bullpen session on Sept. 17 and could be sent to Triple-A Nashville for a rehab assignment, manager Pat Murphy said. That assignment wasn't yet set, however.

Since his July 27 acquisition from Colorado, Mears has a 6.75 ERA in 11 appearances for the Brewers. He pitched in a combined 52 games for the two teams, with a 5.79 ERA. (Last updated: Sept. 17)

60-DAY INJURED LIST

LHP (left elbow tendinitis)
Expected return:
2025
Zastryzny felt some tightness in his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Nashville on Aug. 13 and left after facing just three hitters and throwing 14 pitches. Manager Pat Murphy initially said the club considered it a minor injury, but in shifting Zastryzny to the 60-day IL on Sept. 12, his season is over. (Last updated: Sept. 12)

OF (low back inflammation)
Expected return: 2025
Yelich was clearly compromised during a 1-for-20 funk before landing on the IL on July 24. He saw a spine specialist on July 25 to discuss options, which ran the gamut from rest and treatment to season-ending surgery for the 32-year-old All-Star, and decided to try rehab first. On Aug. 15, Yelich announced that he would undergo season-ending back surgery, though he expects to be healthy in time for the 2025 campaign. The following morning, Dr. Brandon Rebholz performed the surgery in Milwaukee. The Brewers transferred Yelich to the 60-day IL on Sept. 8. (Last updated: Sept. 8)

RHP (right shoulder)
Expected return: 2025
Woodruff underwent shoulder surgery on his throwing arm in October 2023 and was non-tendered by the Brewers the following month. He signed a two-year deal with the club on Feb. 21, when he was placed on the 60-day IL, and has been rehabbing in Milwaukee throughout the season after beginning a throwing program in mid-February. He reached a milestone on Aug. 27 when he threw off the mound for the first time since surgery, but stressed he still had a long way to go. He's signed through 2025 with a mutual option for '26. (Last updated: Aug. 29)

RHP (right shoulder inflammation, oblique)
Expected return: Late September
Manager Pat Murphy said on Aug. 21 that Bukauskas is continuing his recovery from an oblique strain, and that the Brewers are hoping to have him back and available for game action “by the end of September.” Bukauskas has pitched just 12 innings for Milwaukee since being claimed on waivers from Seattle last April as he’s battled through multiple injuries. (Last updated: Aug. 21)

INF Oliver Dunn (back strain)
Expected return:
TBD
Dunn was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 19, on June 26, then transferred to the 60-day IL on July 15. In 41 games with the big league club this season, he's slashed .221/.282/.316 with seven RBIs and six walks. (Last updated: July 15)

LHP (left flexor strain; No. 5 on Brewers Top Prospects list)
Expected return: 2025
After electing to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on the advice of two of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country, Gasser had his procedure -- a standard UCL repair without the brace -- on June 24 and is expected to miss 12-14 months, according to manager Pat Murphy. It's an unfortunate blow for the 25-year-old left-hander, who was 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five Brewers starts beginning with his May 10 Major League debut against the Cardinals.

"I feel bad for the kid," Murphy said. "Think about all the fresh faces we've had up here this year, and nobody had the first five starts like he did. That hurts." (Last updated: June 25)

LHP (torn UCL)
Expected return: 2025
Miley will miss the remainder of 2024 due to UCL surgery, which typically requires a 10- to 12-month rehab. The surgery was completed on May 7 in Cincinnati, with Dr. Timothy Kremchek operating. Miley underwent testing April 23 on his left elbow to try to diagnose inflammation that he said felt different from the usual bone spurs-related pain he has tried to manage for the past three to four years, and the results initially came back inconclusive on April 24.

Miley flew to Cincinnati that day to have an in-person meeting with doctors and undergo an arthrogram to assess the integrity of the ligaments in the region, which confirmed the structural damage. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 30. (Last updated: May 7)