CHICAGO -- After a pair of subpar starts, Brewers right-hander Zach Davies landed back on the 10-day disabled list Friday.
Davies' injury is the same one that sidelined him for three and a half weeks in April and May -- right rotator cuff inflammation. To take his spot, the team recalled left-handed-hitting first baseman Ji-Man Choi from Triple-A Colorado Springs ahead of five straight road games against the White Sox and Indians with the designated hitter in play.
A shoulder issue that originally was expected to cost Davies only one start has now bothered the right-hander for more than a month.
"There's nothing new there," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "I think we expect it to be a short stint [on the DL], but I think the reason we did this is to make sure we get past this. If it takes a little more time, then it takes a little more time.
"He'll play a little catch [Saturday], so we're not shutting him down by any means. We've got to get whatever's bugging him. We've just got to get that little irritation out of there before he goes back out there."
Davies returned from his first DL stint on May 24 against the Mets and pitched again on Tuesday against the Cardinals, allowing nine earned runs and 14 hits in nine innings over those games, both losses.
In the Mets start, Davies fell on his right shoulder after deflecting a comebacker. He said that caused some soreness into his outing against the Cardinals.
"Everything hasn't felt great the last couple games starting back," Davies said, "but you're at the top level -- you've got to find it some time."
Davies' move back to the DL comes amid a series of off-days for the Brewers that could allow the team to navigate its schedule without a significant disruption to the starting rotation. As of Friday afternoon, the team had not identified any probable starters beyond their current three-game series against the White Sox.
Choi is already in his third stint in the Majors this season.
"It was hard going down this time, but I definitely have the confidence I can play," Choi said through a translator. 

In a separate roster move Friday, the Brewers announced that catcher Jett Bandy had cleared waivers and been outrighted to Colorado Springs. Milwaukee hoped to keep Bandy, who has a .533 OPS through 64 big league at-bats this season, in the organization as catching depth.
"He'll get some more regular playing time and, hopefully, get his offensive program back on track," Counsell said.
Worth noting
First baseman Eric Thames (left thumb surgery) took batting practice on the field for the first time Friday in Arizona.
"He's doing really good," Counsell said. "He's making progress, and if he keeps going this way, we'll see him in rehab games next week."