PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Brewers were this close to naming Brice Turang their starting shortstop, but a lingering bout of arm fatigue has promoted another change of plans. Turang will stay put at second base and Joey Ortiz will be the shortstop.
That was one of the myriad issues on the table for manager Pat Murphy and the club officials who met Tuesday morning to walk through multiple roster matters with nine days to go before Opening Day.
“We’re up against it a little bit,” Murphy said.
A little bit?
“A lotta bit,” he said. “But it’s about a team and everybody pulling together.”
Here are some of the areas they debated:
Infield
Turang underwent an MRI scan on Monday after reporting right arm discomfort while playing catch, and while the result showed no structural damage -- meaning that Opening Day is not in jeopardy for the 25-year-old at this point -- it means Turang will stay rooted at second base.
That marks another plot twist for the Brewers, who recently had settled on Turang as the favorite to take over at shortstop for the departed Willy Adames in a shift from the earlier preference to play Ortiz at short and keep Turang at second base. But as the Brewers crept closer to locking in the new alignment -- Turang at shortstop, Ortiz at second -- Turang developed arm fatigue and was scratched from a start on Saturday as a precaution. After his throwing was called off Monday, the Brewers moved quickly, sending Turang for an MRI and making a late lineup change prior to Monday’s 14-8 loss to the Padres that shifted Ortiz from second base to shortstop.
“I think Joey’s more than capable, and we were really splitting hairs when we flipped,” Murphy said.
Starting rotation
Freddy Peralta, Nestor Cortes and Aaron Civale are scheduled to start in the Brewers’ opening series at Yankee Stadium. That's followed by two TBDs because Tobias Myers, Aaron Ashby and DL Hall all went down with injuries this spring, Brandon Woodruff and Robert Gasser are still rehabbing from surgeries and left-hander Jose Quintana, who didn’t sign with Milwaukee until March 4, won’t be ready for the first turn through the rotation.
Lefty swingman Tyler Alexander has been building up innings and is likely to make a spot start in one of those spots. Right-hander Elvin Rodriguez, who started Tuesday’s game at the Mariners, is another option for a spot start. Should Myers’ left oblique strain keep him sidelined longer than expected, Chad Patrick is an internal option on the 40-man roster, as is prospect Logan Henderson (MLB Pipeline’s No. 13-ranked Brewers prospect) -- though Henderson did himself no favors by walking four batters while giving up four earned runs on three hits in three innings against the Padres on Monday.
“That’s not acceptable. You can’t walk four people in three innings,” Murphy said after the game. “I’m sure he’s nervous. It’s his first ‘big league’ start, isn’t it? But he can’t walk four people, that’s not who he is.”
Bullpen
Add right-hander Nick Mears to the list of bullpen options who will begin the season on the injured list. Mears was knocked down by a bad stomach bug last week and didn’t get back on the mound until Monday, and while the metrics from that session looked strong, he will need a series of bullpens and simulated games to get back to game shape. The Brewers can backdate an IL stint, but that still would sideline him for the first 12 days of the regular season.
With that in mind, and with the starting rotation in such a thin position, the Brewers will have to build a bullpen with length and depth in mind. That bodes well for Rule 5 pick Connor Thomas (who would have to be exposed to waivers if the Brewers don’t keep him on the Opening Day roster) and Rodriguez. And it could hurt Abner Uribe, who must serve a four-game suspension whenever he returns to the Majors.
Bench
Vinny Capra is out of options and needed to perform this spring to secure a job, including showing proficiency as a backup shortstop. He’s done so, carrying a 1.284 OPS into Tuesday’s action. But that’s one of the only extra spots that are settled. The Brewers are still discussing whether to carry rookie Caleb Durbin, and then where to play him. They know what Andruw Monasterio can deliver, and he can be optioned. Same for Isaac Collins and Tyler Black.
The Brewers also face decisions with a trio of veteran non-roster invitees: Jake Bauers, Mark Canha and outfielder Manuel Margot. Bauers is a left-handed hitter with pop who plays a solid first base and can cover a corner outfield spot in a pinch -- he played two full innings of a Minor League game over the weekend, switching teams each half inning to get reads there. Canha is a proven right-handed bat who can play first. Margot could help cover the Brewers in the outfield while Christian Yelich is completing his comeback from back surgery and Blake Perkins rehabs a fractured shin.
Murphy said the club would inform the veteran trio of the club’s plans by Friday so they could decide whether to exercise opt-outs.
“I’ll tell you, it’s a hard balance,” Murphy said after meeting with general manager Matt Arnold, assistant GMs Karl Mueller, Matt Kleine and Will Hudgens and senior vice president Cam Castro. “We sat and went over every scenario we’re talking about right now. We didn’t solve anything.
“I’ll tell you this: Roster spots are really important for a team like this. Where depth is so important, though, roster spots become very valuable.”