Brewers reinstate Luis Urias, transfer Darin Ruf to 60-day IL

The Brewers announced a series of roster moves Monday, reinstating infielder Luis Urías from the 60-day injured list. Fellow infielder Mike Brosseau was optioned to open a spot on the active roster. To open a spot on the 40-man, first baseman Darin Ruf was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Urias, 26, played in Milwaukee’s Opening Day game this year but hurt his left hamstring in that contest. He was diagnosed with a strain, and it was estimated that he would miss six to eight weeks. He was eventually transferred to the 60-day injured list and now returns after a slightly longer absence than that initial estimated time frame.

In the past couple of seasons, he has established himself as a solid and versatile member of the club. Over 2021 and 2022, he hit 39 home runs and slashed a combined .244/.340/.426 for a wRC+ of 111. He was also able to bounce around the infield, slotting in at the three positions to the left of first base as needed.

His recent absence led to greater playing time for certain utility players, one of which was Brosseau. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to take advantage of the opportunity, hitting .205/.256/.397 so far this year for a wRC+ of 75. Other players like Owen Miller and Andruw Monasterio have fared better this year, leading to Brosseau getting squeezed out. Assuming Urías is able to get back to his previous form, the swap should be a positive one for the club.

The move could potentially impact Brosseau’s path to free agency, as he came into the season with three years and 31 days of service time. If he were to spend more than a month in the minors, it could prevent him from reaching the four-year mark this season, but he also might find himself at risk of being non-tendered at season’s end anyway since he’s making $1.4M this year and would be in line for an arbitration raise for next season.

As for Ruf, he suffered a laceration on his knee last week when he was chasing after a foul ball and collided with the rolled-up tarp. He was placed on the 10-day IL on the weekend, but it seems the issue is serious enough that he’ll need to miss a couple of months. Ruf just joined the club a couple of weeks ago and effectively replaced the now-released Luke Voit as the right-handed platoon partner for the lefty-swinging Rowdy Tellez. The club recently called up first baseman Jon Singleton, though he also swings from the left side.

Players like Miller, Brian Anderson and Abraham Toro have a small amount of first base experience and bat from the right side, with Toro being a switch-hitter. Perhaps one of them could attempt to take that short-side platoon role. Tellez could also play on a more everyday basis as his career splits aren’t that drastic. He’s hit .237/.308/.486 against righties for a 110 wRC+ and .242/.313/.396 against lefties for a 93 wRC+.