Brewers first baseman Eric Thames goes on DL with torn thumb ligament; Woodruff recalled

KANSAS CITY - The Milwaukee Brewers have been dealing with a string of injuries since spring training, but the news was particularly bad Wednesday on first baseman Eric Thames.

An MRI revealed Thames has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, a serious injury that could keep him out as long as two months. Instead of calling up another position player, the Brewers recalled right-hander Brandon Woodruff from Class AAA Colorado Springs to replace Thames on the roster.

General manager David Stearns said more tests would be conducted before a decision is made on whether Thames will have surgery, which he termed "probably likely at this point."

"Obviously, it's tough news for Eric today," Stearns said. "It's an injury we've seen in baseball before; it's an injury that has a very good recovery rate. It's an injury we know how to treat.

"We want to have him see a couple of additional doctors to confirm everything before we have a definitive treatment plan. But that's where this is likely headed. Once he has the surgery, if that's where this goes, we can set a more concrete time frame for his return. The hope is that by tomorrow afternoon or evening, we have a firm plan.

"It's obviously going to be a while. We do fully anticipate him contributing again this year, playing for us again this year, playing a significant portion (of the season) for us. But his season is going to be on pause for a little bit. Obviously, that's frustrating for Eric and it's unfortunate for our team in general."

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Washington's Bryce Harper missed two months with that injury in 2014 but Mike Trout only six weeks in 2017, with both undergoing surgery. Stearns said it was too early to know with Thames.

"That seems to be the normal time frame," Stearns said. "There have been guys in the past who have come back a little faster. There have been guys who've taken a little bit longer. It depends on the severity of injury and the form of surgical correction, once they get in there and really see the ligament."

Thames was injured Tuesday night in the eighth inning of the Brewers' game against Kansas City, when he dived to his right to snag a grounder from Mike Moustakas, flipping to reliever Dan Jennings covering the bag for the out. Thames jammed his glove hand hard into the ground making the play and exited the game after that inning.

Thames said he didn't need the MRI result to know the news wasn't good on his thumb.

"I knew it was serious," said Thames, who will return to Milwaukee on Thursday to be examined by team physician William Raasch. "I felt like it stretched a lot. I didn't feel a pop but I knew something was up. It happens, I guess. You can't really control it. Personally, I feel like I let everybody down."

As for his length of absence, Thames said, "It all depends on how the surgery goes and the rehab. Hopefully, it'll be sooner than (eight weeks). This is the worst for me because I'll get stir crazy. I guess I'll have huge calves, huge quads from working out my legs a lot. A lot of reading to keep my mind sharp. I don't want to waste away mentally."

In Thames' absence, the Brewers have his backup Jesus Aguilar, who has swung the bat well, and also left fielder Ryan Braun, who was making starts at first base against left-handed pitchers. At some point, they could summon left-handed-hitting first baseman Ji-Man Choi, who began the season with the Brewers but was sent to Colorado Springs after one game. 

"We do think we've got some pretty good depth in that area," Stearns said. "Obviously, we've got guys who are swinging the bat pretty well who can play first base. So, Eric is certainly going to be missed but it's an opportunity for other guys to step up and play a little more regularly."

The injury was disappointing for both Thames and the club because the slugger was off to another strong April in terms of home runs. Thames was leading the team with seven home runs, giving him 18 in the first month of the season in his two years with the Brewers.

In 22 games, Thames was hitting .250 with a .351 on-base percentage and .625 slugging percentage, tops among the regulars. 

"It's certainly bad news," manager Craig Counsell said. "Eric is an important part of what we've been doing. He's a big left-handed bat that is really not replaceable. Eric's been pretty phenomenal again to start the season. But it is a position that we have multiple players. We were trying to find at-bats for some guys. 

"With Jesus and Braunie, and I think Ji-Man Choi could be in the conversation at some point, there are candidates to fill in there. And I feel like pretty good candidates. So, we'll see how it goes. Right now, it will be Aggie and Braunie getting most of the at-bats there."

Woodruff began the season with the Brewers and made two relief appearances before getting a start as the No. 5 pitcher in the rotation. After that outing, he was sent down to Colorado Springs and replaced by reliever J.J. Hoover, who was later designated for assignment. 

"We brought up Brandon Woodruff to give us a little bit more length and depth out of the pen," Stearns said. "That's something we wanted to do heading into this weekend with the Cubs (series in Chicago). 

"After that, we'll evaluate and see where our roster is. See whether we think the extra position player or pitcher is more useful, and more helpful, depending on matchups and how we're doing. That's something that's going to probably be fluid for a little while, as it has been to this point."