Jackson Chourio receives rare day off vs. Mets

The Brewers weren’t exactly quick to activate Frelick, who, after just a couple of weeks off due to a shoulder injury, went 10-for-36 with two homers over 10 games for Triple-A Nashville on a rehab assignment. It seems like a sign that they’ll treat him as more of a fourth outfielder now than the lineup fixture he’s been in recent years. Frelick hit just .236/.301/.330 in 313 plate appearances before going on the injured list, and Luis Lara has been a bit of an upgrade both offensively and defensively in his place.

It could have been a bigger day, but Chourio just missed on flyouts of 388 and 376 feet. He’s still gone 8-for-17 with two steals and five runs scored in his last four games.

Frelick, on the IL with a shoulder strain, is 5-for-22 with a homer and five walks since joining Nashville. He could come off the IL and replace Brandon Lockridge on the Brewers’ roster on Tuesday, but given the way he performed before landing on the IL, there’s no need for the team to make him a lineup fixture right away.

The second double should have been an out at Miller Park, as it went off Kyle Tucker’s glove at the wall in right. However, it also would have been a homer in 23 ballparks, according to Statcast. Chourio snapped out of a little 2-for-19 skid today. It’s the third time this year that he’s scored three runs in a game.

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.

Frelick is working his way back from a shoulder strain that forced him to the injured list back in mid-July. The 26-year-old right fielder is likely to need a handful of games to get back up to speed before returning to Milwaukee’s lineup for the home stretch.

Chourio blasted a solo homer off Twins starter Zebby Matthews in the bottom of the first inning to give the Brewers an early 1-0 lead. It was the 16th homer of the season for Chourio and his third in his last four games. He’s off to a blistering start this month, slashing .320/.433/.720 with four extra-base hits.

Chourio hit a 388-foot homer just over the wall in right center in the first. It would have been a homer in nine ballparks, according to Statcast. Four innings later, he hit a ball 395 feet to a similar area, but just a little too far to the left of where the wall juts in, resulting in a long flyout. Both were impressive shots, though. After a down month of July in which he homered only once, Chourio is 7-for-21 with two homers and four walks to open August.

Chourio tied the game 1-1 with a solo homer off Jared Jones. He got Jones again later with an RBI single up the middle to extend the Brewers’ cushion to 3-1 on the season. It’s the first homer of August for Chourio, and just the second since the start of July for the uber-talented 22-year-old. It would be more surprising than not if the balls don’t start traveling over the fence for Chourio over the final two months.

Frelick is expected to be ready to return at some point in early-to-mid August. Milwaukee top prospect Luis Lara will continue playing regularly in his absence for the next couple weeks. Frelick hit the injured list with a right shoulder strain that had been bothering him for a while back on July 18.