Notes: Mike Zagurski traveled a long road back to the major leagues with the Brewers

CINCINNATI - The Milwaukee Brewers once again dipped into the minor leagues for a fresh arm on Thursday at the outset of their four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

But this time, their move to replace Adrian Houser was an unexpected one.

Mike Zagurski, a 35-year-old left-hander who wasn't even on the 40-man roster, had his contract selected from Class AAA Colorado Springs and will give the Brewers a third left-handed option out of a bullpen against a Reds team featuring a number of dangerous left-handed hitters.

But manager Craig Counsell said that wasn't the main factor in adding Zagurski, who had a 3.90 earned run average and 48 strikeouts in 32 appearances (30 innings) for the Sky Sox and a 1.06 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 17 road appearances.

"It wasn’t lefty-related. He was just throwing the ball well," Counsell said. "I will say that because we went down (to 39) on the (40-man) roster, it opened up a bunch of different guys (to consider).

"He’s been throwing the ball really well. He’s been striking out a lot of guys. His numbers away from Colorado Springs have been outstanding."

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Zagurski's career path has been an interesting one.

He made his major-league debut in 2007 and has pitched for four other major-league teams in that span over the course of five seasons. Zagurski's last big-league experience came in 2013, when he split seven appearances between the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees.

"It’s certainly been a long time," said Zagurski, a native of Omaha who was drafted in the 12th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005.

"It’s great. You compare it to the first time you ever got called up and it kind of takes you back to that day, which is generally one of the more exciting times (of your life). This one may be right up there with it.

"There have been some stops in between, but I kept going after it and it’s worked out."

Zagurski spent the 2014 season in the minor leagues with Cleveland and Toronto and then headed to Japan, where he pitched for the Hiroshima Carp in 2015 and the Yokohama Bay Stars in 2016.

"I had a fair amount of chances up here in the big leagues and I had struggled," said Zagurski. "It certainly didn’t go as well as I wanted it to, and I was having quite a bit of success in the minor leagues. Honestly, financially, it just made sense for me at the time. We were pregnant with our first child.

"It was a great experience. I loved it over there. They treated me very well, compensated me very well. It was the right move at the right time, and I have no regrets about going over there."

The 6-foot, 240-pound Zagurski returned to the United States last season, pitching in the minors for the Detroit Tigers before signing a minor-league, free-agent deal with the Brewers in December.

He saw mop-up duty in four Cactus League games for the Brewers in the spring, compiling an ERA of 11.25 and a WHIP of 2.25, but ultimately proved to be effective on a Colorado Springs team with few left-handed relief options.

Zagurski is a fastball-slider pitcher who says he's whittled down his repertoire and become more aggressive as he's matured.

"It’s been a pretty decent year for the most part," he said. "I’ve gotten knocked around a few times, which happens. It probably caught me off-guard a little bit. I know I’ve been throwing the ball pretty well, but there are quite a few guys down there that are throwing the ball well.

"Maybe the situation was right and I had the hot hand at the right time."

Counsell, regarded as a grinder himself during his lengthy major-league career, tipped his cap to Zagurski's perseverance.

"That’s a long time to keep going," he said. "I’m sure at times he’s had some second thoughts or just questioned it. But you’re happy for guys like that, for sure. We caught a little bit of him in spring training and he’s a great kid, he really is.

"Fun to be around and well-liked by everybody."

Houser, meanwhile, pitched two innings in Wednesday's loss to the Kansas City Royals and was shuttled out in favor of Zagurski's fresh arm, a tactic the Brewers have used with regularity this season.

Getting better: There were positive signs on Thursday on the injury front for a few of Milwaukee's key players.

Third baseman Travis Shaw returned to the lineup after a two-game, three-day absence caused by what he termed as a sprained right wrist.

"He’s going to have to deal with this, and I’m sure he’s going to take a swing it’s going to bug him on," Counsell said. "But at this point he says he feels great, so that’s a good sign."

Centerfielder Lorenzo Cain did some running for the first time since being placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left-groin strain. He said he was hopeful he'd be able to return somewhere around July 4, which is the first day he's eligible.

"I don’t know if I can tell you 10 days for sure, but we are looking at the short end," said Counsell. "He took some swings today, and the fact that he’s on the field is a good sign."