Notes: Piña, Mariñez earn spots on Brewers' roster
MESA, Ariz. - It was something of a formality considering the way they have performed in camp, but catcher Manny Piña and reliever Jhan Mariñez were told by manager Craig Counsell they will be on the Milwaukee Brewers’ opening-day roster.
Counsell announced that news Thursday and said it was connected to both players being out of minor-league options. But Piña and Mariñez made the decisions easy by playing well this spring after finishing the 2016 season with the major-league club.
“Manny is out of options; that’s the big thing at this point that seals it,” Counsell said. “There are still crazy things that can happen. That’s the reason you can’t say that to other players. But Manny being out of options and the way he has performed, he’s going to Milwaukee with us.
“He has had a great camp, and it’s been impressive to watch. We’ve all taken note of it.”
The decision could prove to be moot because what had been a three-man competition for two catching spots among Piña, JettBandy and Andrew Susac has been reduced to two because of a neck/shoulder injury to Susac. He traveled to Milwaukee on Wednesday to have tests run by team medical personnel and the Brewers were awaiting the results.
In any event, Susac is running out of time to get back on the field and, depending on the test results, could end up on the disabled list.
“It’s a possibility,” Counsell said. “He’ll come back (Thursday night) from Milwaukee. Improvement has been slow. Another round of tests are being done. We’ll go from there. You’re trying to rule everything out and know exactly what we’re dealing with.
“Can he get back on the field? The way he has been recovering, he’d have to get back on the field by Tuesday, at the latest.”
Piña, who will make an opening-day roster for the first time, has had a terrific camp, batting .425 (17 for 40) in exhibition play with three home runs, 11 RBI and 1.214 OPS. He was called up on Aug. 1 after Jonathan Lucroy was traded to Texas and played in 33 games, batting .254 with two homers, 12 RBI and .346 OBP.
When Counsell summoned Piña to his office Wednesday to give him the news, the catcher had no idea what was coming. After spending most of his 12 professional seasons in the minors — 793 games worth — he was so stunned he could barely respond.
“I was not expecting it,” he said. “I thought I would wait until the last day (to hear). I tried to say something but my voice didn’t work. I just thanked him for the opportunity.”
Piña called his parents in Venezuela with the news and said his mother, Minda, broke into tears of joy.
“She said, ‘Let me sit down,’ ” he said. “She was so happy. She will come see me play in May. On opening day, my wife (Leny) and two kids will be there. My wife knows what I did to get here. It was a tough career to do this. We all waited for this day.”
Whether it’s Bandy or Susac joining Piña as the catching tandem, Counsell said one would not be the No. 1 catcher and the other the backup, as in previous years with Lucroy and Martin Maldonado, respectively.
“You go into the season, and if a guy emerges, then he’ll get more playing time,” Counsell said. “But I’m not going in with any idea that (one) will play four out of five days. It’s not the same situation we had going into last year.
“Jett has been excellent. The way he has come in new and handled pitchers, we all have been impressed. I like where we’re sitting right now.”
Mariñez was acquired from Tampa Bay for cash in mid-May last season and made 46 relief appearances, posting a 3.18 ERA. As he showed more consistency and earned the trust of Counsell, he moved into more important situations in games and will get such assignments again in 2017.
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Mariñez has done nothing to upset the apple cart this spring, posting a 1.13 ERA in eight exhibition outings while holding opponents to a .217 batting average.
“That was (a decision) kind of going into spring,” Counsell said of keeping Mariñez. “That was kind of confirming it. We need him to be healthy and we need him on the team.
“We lost three relievers (Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith, Tyler Thornburg) since when he started here — three guys ahead of him in the leverage world. He’s going to be asked to be somebody that handles bigger spots. There’s a couple of different ways I see that. I could see that earlier in the game, frankly, with a little more length.
“The other thing he has handled pretty well is multiple outs and some length. He and Carlos (Torres) are two guys who have done that pretty well.”
So, relievers set on the roster at this point are closer Neftali Feliz, Torres and Mariñez. Corey Knebel, who has been dominant of late and has 11 strikeouts in six innings, is likely on the roster, too.
“Corey has pitched very well,” Counsell said. “His last four outings or so have been really impressive. We’re kind of looking for Corey to take that next step and he came to camp kind of saying, ‘I need to take that next step.’
“He’s going to be a very important guy. If we’re going to have a quality bullpen, he’s a guy we’re going to count on.”
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Prospect has surgery: Pitcher Devin Williams, the Brewers' top draft pick in 2013, underwent Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his right elbow on Thursday, according to farm director Tom Flanagan.
The procedure was performed by James Andrews, who provided a second opinion on Williams' elbow Wednesday. Flanagan said Williams will rehabilitate in Maryvale, which is standard for recovering Brewers players.
Williams originally suffered the injury while pitching in a minor-league intrasquad game on March 7.
"I'll be back & better than I was before!!" Williams tweeted on his official Twitter account Thursday afternoon.
Originally slated to open the season at advanced Class A Carolina, Williams went 7-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 22 appearances (12 starts) split between Class A Wisconsin and advanced Class A Brevard County in 2016, with 94 strikeouts in 97 1/3 innings. He also registered a pair of saves.
Williams is the third fourth-profile Brewers minor-leaguer to undergo Tommy John surgery since late 2015, joining right-handers Taylor Williams and Adrian Houser and left-hander Nathan Kirby. Williams and Kirby have returned to action this spring.