CHICAGO -- Michael Reed had already begun his offseason when the Brewers called Friday to tell him that he was needed at Wrigley Field.
The 23-year-old rookie outfielder was four hours from his home in Austin, Texas, when he got the call. He was about to watch his sister play a volleyball game for the University of Texas-Tyler, but he quickly hustled back home.
"She's a freshman in college, and I was watching her play volleyball," said Reed, who's ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Brewers' 27th prospect. "Just before the game, I got the call and had to hurry back home and pack up."
Reed, who hit .248 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 121 games at Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, became a necessity after the Brewers lost two center fielders Friday against the Cubs. Keon Broxton fractured his right wrist while slamming into the outfield wall after making a catch, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis -- who'd replaced Broxton -- left because an ongoing lower abdominal strain.
"We lost two center fielders [Friday], and you don't just have center fielders all over the roster," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "So, we need outfielders, really, and we need bodies."
The decision was made to recall Reed, who made his Major League debut last season, playing seven games for the Brewers in September 2015. He wasn't called up after the rosters expanded this month, so he went home to Texas to gear up for next season.
Though he hasn't done much hitting or throwing since the end of the Minor League season, Reed said he's been working out at the gym quite a bit.
Now, Reed is back playing baseball in the Majors, and he is hoping to make a good impression.
"I told my dad, 'Man, this is going to be like a two-week vacation,'" Reed said, laughing. "It's an opportunity in a lot of ways. I'm very blessed and happy to be here."
Worth noting
• Counsell said the Brewers didn't consider recalling center fielder Lewis Brinson, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers in a Trade Deadline deal or Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress. Brinson, who is Milwaukee's No.1 prospect, isn't on the 40-man roster. That could've played a role into why he wasn't considered.
• Nieuwenhuis will see team physician Dr. William G. Raasch on Monday in Milwaukee to determine the severity of his lower abdominal strain. Nieuwenhuis said he's been dealing with soreness from the injury for more than a couple weeks, but he further aggravated it Friday while making a sliding catch in center field and also while running to first on a groundout.
"I'm not going to write Kirk off for the season," Counsell said. "But we need to kind of get to the root of it, so we know exactly what's going on before we put him back out there."