MILWAUKEE -- Brewers catcher Manny Piña, a defensive stalwart and one of the team’s few players performing at the plate, will undergo right knee surgery and is expected to miss the remaining month of the regular season.

Piña suffered a torn meniscus Thursday on Wade Miley’s pickoff attempt in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Reds at Miller Park. Piña left the stadium on crutches, and an MRI scan on Friday morning revealed the extent of the injury. Surgery will be early next week.

While such procedures are relatively common, they typically require at least four weeks of rehab.

“I hope the team is in the playoffs, so I can go back to back to playing,” Piña said.

Piña, no stolen-base threat, was caught off-guard when Miley threw over in the second inning. In his haste to get back to the bag, Piña said, “I felt my knee move the wrong way.”

He called it “a very sad day for me right now.”

Buoyed by his strong defensive numbers, Piña had the Brewers’ highest fWAR entering Friday, at 0.5.

The Brewers placed Piña on the 10-day injured list and recalled catcher Jacob Nottingham from the alternate training site. Nottingham started Friday with a left-hander (Derek Holland) on the mound for Pittsburgh, but Omar Narváez will continue to shoulder most of the catching load.

“It’s a loss,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of Piña. “Manny, to me, has always been just a rock-solid supporting piece. It’s never any different. He’s very consistent in what he does, and you always know what you’re going to get. He’s very invested in what we do in terms of our preparation from the pitching side, and I think that has a carryover effect to a lot of people. We’re going to miss that, for sure.

“On the other side of it, this is an opportunity for Jacob Nottingham that’s important and I hope he makes the most of it.”

Nottingham, 25, made brief appearances for the Brewers in each of the past two seasons, logging 31 plate appearances. Friday marked his 19th game and seventh career start.

Grimm designated for assignment
In order to return to a 28-man roster after playing the doubleheader with an extra man, the Brewers designated for assignment right-handed reliever Justin Grimm. He had just been activated from the IL on Thursday after missing time with a cut on his right index finger.

Grimm, who made the club out of Summer Camp as a non-roster invitee, pitched four times for the Brewers and was charged with multiple runs in three of those outings including his inning on Thursday.

Murphy back home in Arizona
Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy’s recovery from an Aug. 1 heart attack has moved to Phoenix, where he makes his year-round home. While he is doing well, Counsell said there is no timetable for Murphy’s return to the dugout, in part because of concerns about COVID-19.

“I spoke with him at length this morning,” Counsell said. “He started a small exercise program, but his prescription is to rest right now, and that’s what he needs to do.”

Counsell did not replace Murphy on the staff, instead collaborating with hitting coach Andy Haines and pitching coach Chris Hook on in-game maneuvering. When Counsell was ejected Thursday from Game 2 of the doubleheader, Haines and Hook co-managed, according to Counsell.

“We miss Murph; there’s no question about it,” Counsell said. “I miss what he adds -- not even just in-game. It’s probably more out of the game that we miss him. Just his presence helps all of us be better at baseball, get through our day and think about things differently. He’s really good at that. I know a lot of people are in contact with him. …

“He’s still involved and making an impact, but we miss him, there’s no question. I miss him.”

The Brewers have also had longtime radio engineer Kent Sommerfeld in mind as he recovers from a heart attack suffered before the team’s Aug. 18-20 series at Minnesota.

“Another member of the Brewer family survived it and is going to be OK,” Counsell said. “We’re fortunate for that. Those are scary stories, but they end up being happy stories for me.”