Gomez headed to DL with hamstring 'defect'

ST. LOUIS -- The Brewers are poised to place center fielder Carlos Gomez on the 15-day disabled list after detecting what assistant GM Gord Ash called a "small defect" in his right hamstring during an examination in Milwaukee on Thursday.

Gomez felt a "pop" in the lower half of his hamstring, near the knee, while running to first base on a ninth-inning fielder's choice on Wednesday night. He immediately limped off the field, and remained in significant discomfort Thursday morning.

"The next day is always the worst," Gomez said. "I would love if they gave it a look and said, 'It's not as bad as the way you feel.'"

Despite how gingerly Gomez ambled around the clubhouse in St. Louis on Thursday morning, he retained some hope of avoiding the disabled list. But that hope was dashed after he traveled back to Milwaukee for a visit with Dr. William Raasch, who detected the tear and administered a cortisone shot to speed Gomez's healing.

Ash said Gomez would be evaluated during the team's next homestand to determine a timetable for his absence.

The Brewers are expected to announce a corresponding roster move on Friday before opening a three-game series against the Pirates at PNC Park.

The only outfielder on the 40-man roster and not currently in the big leagues is Shane Peterson, who posted a 1.153 OPS in his first six games for Triple-A Colorado Springs. The other top candidates are right-handed-hitting utility man Jason Rogers (1.069 OPS) and left-handed-hitting first baseman Matt Clark (.758 OPS), each of whom is also on the 40-man roster, and switch-hitting utility man Elian Herrera (1.233 OPS), who is not on the 40-man roster. Each of those four players already has two home runs at the Brewers' new hitter-friendly Triple-A outpost.

The Brewers' 40-man roster is currently full, a factor that could play in the decision.

Losing Gomez represents a blow to a Brewers team that scored two runs or fewer in six of its first nine games.

"Certainly we're not going to see him out there [Friday] or the next day, so it is," Roenicke said before his club's 4-0 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday. "When you talk about a leadoff guy who can do what he can do, and in center field, yeah, it's concerning. We know offensively we need to get things going, and we're losing a guy who has a chance to do a ton for you offensively."