Brice Turang not dealing with thumb soreness

Murphy misspoke Tuesday when he told reporters that it was Brice Turang that was dealing with thumb soreness. The 22-year-old outfielder is in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Padres, but fantasy managers should pay close attention to the situation.

It’s a little surprising to see Turang back in the lineup after Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested the infielder could miss some time. Milwaukee may need to manage the injury over the coming days, but obviously this is a wonderful sign for fantasy managers return to action this soon.

Turang was able to finish the game against the Padres, but it looks like this could be an issue going forward. If so, the Brewers will need to place either he or Joey Ortiz, who is out with a neck issue, on the IL before Wednesday’s game. The Brewers don’t have any additional middle infielders on the 40-man, but they could call on someone like Freddy Zamora as a stopgap. Of course, top prospect Jesús Made is also an option. Signing Jorge Mateo wouldn’t be exciting, but can’t be ruled out.

Ortiz remains out for the third consecutive game due to a lingering neck issue. All indications are that he’s making progress and figures to be available off the bench in this one, if needed. It’ll be Brice Turang handling shortstop with Jihwan Bae getting a look at the keystone. It’s Turang’s first appearance at shortstop since the 2023 campaign.

Turang did a little bit of everything against the Twins on Saturday. He had three hits, a run scored, a double, a stolen base and two RBI. Turang’s stolen base was just his 16th of the season. After stealing 50 bases two years ago, all Turang has done since is show he’s a legitimate, well-rounded player. He’s hitting .273 with an .825 OPS and 74 RBI this year.

Turang led off the game with a base hit, then drove in two runs on a single in the fourth. He’d collect a third hit with another single in the eighth. The 26-year-old second baseman is hitting .269/.363/.462 with 15 homers, 70 runs scored, 64 RBI, and 15 steals across 458 plate appearances.

Turang golfed a 434-foot moonshot off Tomoyuki Sugano in the sixth inning, and the Rockies were lucky his first-inning single had no launch because it was 109 mph off the bat. Turang has been incredible through his first 97 games of the season, hitting .265/.361/.463 with 15 homers and 15 stolen bases. Fantasy managers would probably love it if he ran as much as he did in 2024 and 2025, but the extra power — he’s three away from last year’s career high 18 bombs — certainly helps.

Turang sat out on Saturday due to soreness in his right foot after fouling a ball off of it during Friday’s game. The 26-year-old second baseman will bat third against Marlins’ right-hander Eury Perez on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.

Braden Shewmake takes over at the keystone with Turang taking a seat after fouling a ball off his right foot during Friday’s second-half opener. He’s delivered top-three fantasy value at second base this season, hitting .263/.359/.460 with 66 runs scored, 14 homers, 60 RBI and 15 steals in 421 plate appearances through 92 games. It’s unclear whether there are any plans for him to undergo imaging at this juncture. There should be a more definitive update on his status later this weekend. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.

Turang did his damage off of Antwone Kelly in the seventh inning, crushing a 3-2 slider for a 387-foot (100.5-mph EV) two-run blast that pulled the Brewers to within 10 runs at 14-4. He also drew a walk in the contest. Turang has had an excellent all-around first half, slashing .266/.361/.465 with 14 homers, 60 RBI and 15 stolen bases.