Schafer not expected to need full 15 days to recover

PITTSBURGH -- Logan Schafer does not expect to need two weeks to heal his strained right hamstring, but the Brewers' outfield situation and a corresponding roster move made his stint on the 15-day disabled list a necessity on Sunday.

Schafer was placed on the DL retroactive to Friday, the day after he felt a pop in his hamstring while preparing to pinch-hit. The Brewers needed the 25-man roster spot for backup first baseman Lyle Overbay, whose return from the three-day paternity list was mandated by rule.

Had the Brewers simply returned utility man Elian Herrera to Triple-A Nashville, they would have been without a true backup outfielder. Now, while Schafer heals, the versatile, switch-hitting Herrera can fill that role, with infielders Jeff Bianchi or Mark Reynolds also available to man a corner outfield position in a pinch.

"It's not going to take 15 days, but they couldn't be without someone for a week or however long it takes," said Schafer, who landed on the DL for the first time in his career. "I understand that."

Overbay, meanwhile, returned from the birth of a son. Sarah Overbay went into labor Thursday morning, and Lyle raced back to Milwaukee in time to greet Eddie Christian, with both baby and mom healthy and well.

"I made it," Overbay said. "I wasn't sure if I [would], because she was progressing quick."

The Overbays now have four sons and a daughter in the family. Their last two children were both in-season, and Major League Baseball's paternity list allowed Lyle to attend the births. For that, he was thankful.

"This one decided to come early," Overbay said. "We were hoping to do it on that off-day Thursday, but he was a week, week and a half early. We know coming in that every game counts ... [but] it is an important thing to be there."