MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt went on the injured list with a strained right hamstring on Sunday as the NL Central leaders deal with depth issues on the left side of their infield.
Pratt's injury comes while third baseman Joey Ortiz is dealing with issues to the scapular muscles in the upper part of his back.
Ortiz aggravated his scapular injury while swinging the bat in the second inning Saturday, causing him to exit a 4-3
victory two innings later. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Pratt indicated his hamstring issue also cropped up on Saturday.
In other moves Sunday, the Brewers signed utilityman Jihwan Bae to a minor league contract and selected him to their active roster, and they designated left-handed pitcher Drew Rom for assignment.
The shortage of available players on the left side of the infield caused Andrew Vaughn to start at third base for just the second time in his career, and the first since 2021. Vaughn, who typically plays first base, appeared in six games at third base this year in a reserve role.
“He’s a baseball player, he’s done it before and we’re in an emergency situation,” Murphy said.
David Hamilton was penciled in as Milwaukee’s starting shortstop for the first time since June 9. Hamilton had been alternating between third base and shortstop earlier this season, but he’s been working primarily at third since Pratt got promoted to the big leagues in mid-June.
The Brewers’ injury issues on the left side of the infield aren’t limited to their major league roster. Jett Williams, who has been playing shortstop and third base for Triple-A Nashville, has wrist soreness and is going to Arizona to see a specialist.
Williams, rated by MLB Pipeline as baseball’s No. 76 overall prospect, came to the Brewers along with pitcher Brandon Sproat in the January trade that sent two-time All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets. Peralta has since been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The addition of Bae could help the Brewers address these depth issues, though most of his experience has come in the outfield and at second. Bae played 163 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2022-25.
Rom was 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in five appearances for Milwaukee this season.
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