MILWAUKEE – The Brewers placed outfielder Sal Frelick on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right shoulder strain and scratched second baseman Brice Turang from the starting lineup against the Marlins with a sore right foot.
Turang’s injury is considered minor, the result of a foul ball off his foot in Friday’s 10-inning, 2-1 win at American Family Field that flared up overnight. Frelick’s injury is more concerning, and will require a contrast MRI in the coming days before the Brewers have a feel for how much time the scrappy right fielder might miss.
“He represents a lot of what our team is,” manager Pat Murphy said. “No nonsense. Let’s just compete. You can’t lose those things on your team. Somebody else has to pick it up.”
Outfielder Blake Perkins was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday, when rookie Luis Lara started in right field against the Marlins. Lara is likely to get the bulk of playing time in place of Frelick, who said he’d been dealing with shoulder pain for the last two months.
He hoped the All-Star break would help calm things down, but he felt discomfort on a throw from right field in the top of the fourth and didn’t come out to the on-deck circle when his turn came up in the bottom of that inning. Lara wound up taking Frelick’s place at the start of the fifth.
Frelick’s production is down this season, but he put together a solid June (.880 OPS) before going 4-for-31 on the Brewers’ long road trip leading to the All-Star break. The shoulder began to bother him at the plate during that time, Frelick said.
“I felt like I couldn’t throw,” Frelick said. “Like a liability out there. That’s why I spoke up. I tried throwing as hard as I could to second and it kind of just dribbled out of my hand. I felt I needed to speak up and not push through it anymore.”
That isn’t easy for a former hockey player who prides himself on toughness.
“Hardest thing for me to do,” Frelick said. “I don’t want to sit here and say I can play through anything or I’m tough or whatnot, but what I hated specifically about [Friday] night and what made me finally speak up is feeling like I would maybe affect the team. That’s the last thing I want. I think you should play through anything you can bear, but [when it] costs the team is when you need to speak up.”
He’s confident that Lara will seize the opportunity. Lara, 21, is the Brewers’ No. 4-ranked prospect and No. 64 overall, per MLB Pipeline.
“Just an absolute stud,” Frelick said. “We’ve known what we’ve got in him from big league camp this year, and seeing him progress through the Minors. He’s a really good kid, too. He works hard. Ultimate trust in anyone who’s out there.”