The Brewers placed second baseman Jonathan Villar on the 10-day disabled list with a lower back strain after he suffered an injury during Friday’s 8-6 win over the Diamondbacks. Villar tweaked his back while diving for a ground ball in the eighth inning and had to be removed from the field on a cart when he was unable to stand after the play. Postgame comments from manager Craig Counsell indicated that Villar may have sustained the injury due to the force with which he slammed into the ground.
While the Brewers’ infielder was initially diagnosed with back spasms, the injury appears to be more severe and will require a stint on the disabled list. Prior to the incident, Villar was batting .213/.283/.342 with six home runs and a .626 OPS over his first 59 games of 2017. He went 2-for-5 on Friday with a base hit and RBI double.
With Villar sidelined, the club recalled top outfield prospect Lewis Brinson from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Saturday. Brinson slashed .312/.397/.503 with six home runs and a .900 OPS through 45 games for the Sky Sox.