After a particularly painful weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals, the straw that stirs the drink for the Milwaukee Brewers is headed to the disabled list:
OF Lorenzo Cain (left groin strain) has been placed on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to July 24. OF Keon Broxton has been recalled from Triple-A @skysox. pic.twitter.com/i3kYY2KDUP
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 26, 2018
Cain heads to the DL with a left groin strain just days after cramping during the team’s recent four-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a particularly painful series for Cain, who suffered a hamstring cramp on Thursday, took a hit-by-pitch to the elbow Friday, and suffered a groin issue on Saturday (in addition to another hit-by-pitch). Cain sat against the Cardinals on Sunday with the hope things would be better for the star outfielder after two days off, but that wasn’t the case.
Cain has been a key piece to the Brewers running out to an early lead in the NL Central race. In fact, Cain’s 3.3 wins above replacement via Fangraphs suggests he has been the team’s most valuable player. Cain has eight home runs, 26 runs batted in, and a .291 batting average in his first season back with his original organization. So even though the Brewers aren’t going up against stiff competition the next three series, losing a player of his magnitude figures to sting a little bit.
A 10-day ride on the disabled list will keep Cain out of series against the Royals, Reds, and Twins. If Cain is back right away, the earliest he can return is July 5 against the Braves. In his place, the Brewers recalled Keon Broxton, who has 225 games of big league experience under his belt. Broxton was slashing .263/.336/.431 with nine home runs and 31 runs batted in for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs. Last season, Broxton batted .220, knocked out 20 homers, and posted an 84 wRC+ in 143 games.