Keep track of the Brewers’ recent transactions and injury updates throughout the season.
June 21: RHP Jake Cousins selected from Triple-A Nashville
Cousins, 26, is in line for his big league debut after striking out 30 batters vs. five walks in 17 2/3 innings between Double-A Biloxi and Nashville this season. He’s a former Nationals Draft pick who features a 95-96 mph fastball that he pairs with a slider.
“A hat tip to our pro scouting staff, finding a guy like this,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s had a nice year. He did enough in a short look in ’19 to get an invite to Major League camp. Then he went out and pitched really well in the Minor League season. We challenged him in Triple-A and he continued to pitch well and earned his shot here. Guys like this, they’ve got to earn it completely. They’ve got to earn everything they get, and that’s what Jake did to get here.”
June 21: RHP Zack Godley optioned Triple-A Nashville
Another tough demotion for Godley, who faced four batters and surrendered a pair of home runs at Colorado on Sunday in his only appearance during a second stint with the Brewers this season. He’s pitched well as a starter at Nashville, but he hasn’t had a chance to gain a foothold in the Majors this year.
“We felt it was important to be fresh [in the bullpen] today,” Counsell said. “We’re not in a perfect spot in the ‘pen, and for that reason it was important that we were fresh. So, yeah, you never want one bad day to necessarily be — especially four hitters — the reason for it. But with where we’re at here going into this stretch, I think it’s a little bit a result of that.”
OF Tyrone Taylor (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: June 21
Taylor was placed on the injured list on June 12 (retroactive to June 11) after hurting his shoulder throwing during batting practice on June 11. He wasn’t able to take batting practice due to the ailment. An MRI showed an injury that is “relatively minor,” though it was enough to place him on the shelf for the time being. Taylor said on June 21 that he could come off the IL as early as June 22. (Last updated: June 21)
CF Lorenzo Cain (right hamstring strain)
Expected return: Before All-Star break
The Brewers placed Cain on the 10-day injured list after he tweaked his right leg making a running catch against the Tigers on Memorial Day, and while Cain has been able to do some light pregame work, the Brewers won’t consider reinstating him until July 1 or thereafter, manager Craig Counsell said. Cain began running on June 21 and expected to pick up a bat for the first time on June 22. He’s aiming to be back before the All-Star break.
“That’s where my goal is set right now,” Cain said. (Last updated: June 21)
LHP Angel Perdomo (lower back strain)
Expected return: Second half of June
Perdomo was placed on the injured list prior to the Brewers’ series finale against the Nationals in D.C. on May 30. He had last pitched on May 24, when he issued two walks and gave up a home run to the Padres before being lifted without recording an out. He has been building back since then, and began a rehab assignment on Sunday for Triple-A Nashville, pitching as an “opener” for Josh Lindblom against Gwinnett. Perdomo got off to a stellar start, striking out the side in order in the first inning, with all called Strike 3s. (Last updated: June 20)
RHP Dylan File (right elbow stress fracture)
Expected to return: June or July
File, the Brewers’ No. 26 prospect according to MLB Pipleine, was one of the 40-man roster pitchers expected to help at the Major League level in 2021 before he sustained a stress fracture in his right elbow and underwent surgery on Feb. 4. Because he has yet to log any Major League service, the Brewers were allowed to simply option File to the Minors during Spring Training rather than place him on the IL, but their myriad other issues forced them to make a paper move on Sunday that recalled him from the Minors and added him to the 60-day IL in order to free a 40-man roster spot. He is in Arizona and was just beginning a throwing program as of late April, said president of baseball operations David Stearns, who indicated that, “realistically,” File will not be ready to pitch for the Brewers until June or July. (Last updated: May 3)
3B Travis Shaw (dislocated left shoulder)
Expected return: August
Shaw said he’s “still pretty stiff, pretty sore and having trouble lifting my arm up.” The move to the 60-day IL on June 12 opened up a roster spot while ensuring Shaw won’t be back through early-August. The plan is to rehab the shoulder, but Shaw said the first couple weeks of August will be when the decision is made on whether or not to get surgery. (Last updated: June 12)
RHP Justin Topa (right flexor tendon strain)
Expected return: Second half
The Brewers expected Topa, MLB Pipeline’s No. 29 Brewers prospect despite the fact that he’s 30 years old, to play a significant bullpen role this season after a promising Major League debut late in 2020. But he reinjured his twice-repaired right elbow at the very end of Spring Training and was diagnosed with a flexor tendon strain that was expected to sideline him at least for the first half of 2021. As of the end of April, he was at the team’s Arizona complex doing rehabilitation but had not yet begun a throwing program. (Last updated: May 1)
IF/OF Mark Mathias (right labrum tear)
Expected return: 2022
Mathias was in the running for the Opening Day roster after a strong showing with the Brewers last year. He injured his right shoulder on a diving play against the Giants on March 9 and was diagnosed with a tear at the back of his labrum following an MRI scan. Mathias initially opted for a non-surgical rehab but altered course and underwent a season-ending procedure on May 4 to repair and stabilize the joint. “I am not going to back down from the challenge of coming back from one of the toughest injuries baseball has to offer,” Mathias wrote on Twitter. (Last updated: May 5)