Notes: Eric Thames seeing the bulk of his playing time in the outfield since returning from DL

A week and a half into his return from a 41-game stint on the disabled list, Eric Thames is getting back into the groove with the Milwaukee Brewers.

What's made it a little more challenging for the slugger is he has seen the bulk of his playing time come in the outfield rather than at first base.

With Jesús Aguilar now tied for the team lead with Travis Shaw with 14 home runs and 45 runs batted in and entrenched at first base, the Brewers have been taking advantage of Thames' ability to play the corner outfield spots.

He made a start in left field in Thursday's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals with Ryan Braun out again and has started three straight games in the outfield overall.

With so much depth in the outfield entering the season, all of Thames's action in the field came at first base before he injured his thumb diving for a grounder.

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But since undergoing surgery and missing the 41 games, circumstances have changed.

Aguilar has developed into arguably the team's best hitter and Domingo Santana has been unable to break out of his season-long power outage, while Braun continues to be in and out of the lineup due to various maladies and scheduled rest days.

Thames broke into the major leagues as an outfielder and started 15 games in left and three more in right in 2017, so it makes sense to move him there again more regularly during this stretch.

He dropped a catchable fly ball while playing right in a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Tuesday night but otherwise has made all the requisite plays.

"It's not new for him but it is unfamiliar and we recognize that," manager Craig Counsell said. "We're trying to keep Jesús and Eric in the lineup at the same time so we understand this isn't a regular position at this point. There's going to be some rough edges there but he's shown that he can handle the basics.

"There was a ball he misplayed in Pittsburgh, but he came back and made two very nice plays. That's what we're going to get and that's what we've got to be willing to live with.

"I think having both of those bats in the lineup is reward enough for that."

Thames was hitting just .143 in seven games since returning from the DL entering Thursday, but the power potential he provides from the left side of the plate is valuable. He slugged a pair of homers in Sunday's 10-9 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, nearly bringing the Brewers back with a three-run shot in the ninth inning.

As for his play in the outfield, Thames said it's coming back to him rapidly.

"I feel good," he said. "I feel normal. You can do as many reps as you want in practice and stuff, but it’s all about the game timing and reactions. Fans in the background and seeing through white shirts – I’m trying to get used to that. The grind of running out there and diving for balls and stuff, it gets easier.

"That play in Pittsburgh, I was like, ‘What in the world just happened? Ugh.’ I don’t know what happened. But it’s one of those things, the more reps you get the easier it gets."

The Brewers have sought versatility in their players since beginning the rebuilding process. And while Aguilar can play third base on occasion, he's limited almost exclusively to first base - a fact the Brewers have been willing to live with because of the impact he makes offensively.

That means that while Aguilar continues to swing the bat, Thames is likely to continue to bounce between positions.

"I wish they played different or more positions," Counsell said. "But look, every day you're trying to figure out a different puzzle to put together. There's days we can get them both in the lineup, and that requires playing Eric in the outfield."

Braun is back: Braun was out of the lineup but back with the Brewers after traveling to Los Angeles on Wednesday for a cryotherapy injection in his right thumb.

"He's back. He's doing fine. It went well," Counsell said. "He's going to take it easy today but he's available if we need him."