Gomez, Brewers pleased with MRI on hip

MILWAUKEE -- Seeking to rule out the possibility of a structural injury, Carlos Gomez and the Brewers received some peace of mind on Tuesday after the outfielder underwent an MRI on his bothersome right hip.

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"Everything was fine," manager Craig Counsell said. "The plan was to give him these two days [Gomez was out of the starting lineup for a second straight game on Tuesday], then see how we are [Wednesday]. That's kind of the plan we talked about, and that's what we're doing."

Gomez has been bothered for much of this season by pain in his right hip flexor, and he also has complained of groin discomfort. Rather than have him play through the issue in a diminished state, Counsell and the Brewers' medical staff devised the plan to give Gomez several days off, hoping he'll reemerge closer to full speed.

The designated hitter is available on Wednesday and Thursday in Kansas City, though Counsell did not reveal his plan for that spot.

"Most important is how he feels, but [the MRI] gives you peace of mind," Counsell said, adding, "I think a lot of this is Carlos is a '100 percent player.' He is. We all know that. He doesn't -- It's hard for some guys, it's hard for him to play at 70, 80 percent. It's now how he's played his whole life. When you're that player and you need to play at that speed, you want to be sure that you're not going to hurt yourself. I think that's where he's at."

Gomez, an All-Star each of the past two seasons, entered Tuesday hitting .270/.309/.433 with only six stolen bases -- down across the board from 2013 and '14. Besides his contributions on the field, a healthy Gomez would better position the Brewers to plan for the upcoming non-waiver Trade Deadline.