Brewers taking Weeks' return one step at a time

MILWAUKEE -- All-Star second baseman Rickie Weeks may have come off the disabled list Thursday, but that didn't mean he was going to see action right away. The Milwaukee Brewers are being particularly careful with Weeks' return from a severely sprained left ankle, but he could start as soon as Sunday's series finale with the Philadelphia Phillies. Manager Ron Roenicke said Saturday that Weeks could start Sunday's game, or one of next weeks' games against the Rockies, and get an at-bat or two before being pulled. It all may depend, though, on how active he must be defensively. "With his ankle, I wouldn't want to put him out there for nine innings right away," Roenicke said. "The next day he's going to come in really sore if I do that. So we'll see how the at-bats go, we'll see how many balls he's really got to run around for. The less he does, the more he can play in that game." Weeks has been available as a pinch-hitter since being reinstated from the 15-day disabled list Thursday, but Roenicke hasn't wanted to use him in high-pressure situations. The preference was that Weeks see some live pitching, instead of just batting practice throws, before getting a pinch-hit at-bat. To get Weeks that live pitching, the Brewers had new call-up Michael Fiers pitch a simulated game Saturday afternoon. Weeks got the equivalent of four at-bats, with breaks between each, and roughly 35 pitches as Roenicke and general manager Doug Melvin looked on. "He got to look at a lot of pitches," Roenicke said. "He didn't know what (pitch) was coming for most of it." Weeks got his first plate appearance since July 27 on Saturday night against Phillies starter Cliff Lee and walked before being replaced by pinch runner Josh Wilson at first base. Walking slowly to the plate before the at-bat, Weeks' got a standing ovation from the nearly 43,000 fans at Miller Park. Roenicke said he couldn't guess at this point how long Weeks might need before he can go all nine innings of a game, but next weekend's series with the Reds could be a turning point in his return to regular duty. As would be expected of his personality, Weeks has an idea of when he'll be ready. "I feel like I could go right now, but of course they want to feel it out," Weeks said. "We've got to do what we've got to do." Weeks said seeing live pitching -- something he hadn't done in more than a month -- helped get him ready to return in a game situation. The Brewers' upcoming off days should help Weeks too, as he'll have more time to rest his ankle between defensive stints. Domino effect: While it's not entirely clear yet the impact Weeks' return to regular duty will have on the batting order, it could mean some changes in the infield. If shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt continues scuffling at the plate, Jerry Hairston Jr. will likely see time at shortstop. Roenicke said Saturday he wants to find ways to keep Hairston in the lineup once Weeks is fully healthy, as he's filled in well with Weeks out. Hairston was acquired from the Nationals at the trade deadline to fill in with Weeks and Carlos Gomez injured. "We'll try to keep him in there," Roenicke said. "Whoever's swinging it well. If the match-ups are good, I might play him at short." Betancourt has struggled of late, hitting .170 (16-94) over the past 25 games. Betancourt had been red-hot for about a month, but went cold again in a hurry. As Roy Halladay shut down the Brewers on Friday, Betancourt's deficiencies were clearly evident. Despite two RBI in the game, Betancourt killed a fourth-inning rally by grounding into an inning-ending double play on the first pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. Roenicke said such situations make Betancourt's free-swinging approach frustrating, but didn't want to say any more than that. He did say, though, that it can be the case with elite pitchers like Halladay that the first pitch may be the best one a hitter sees during an at-bat. While Hairston may not see much time in center field with backup Gomez healthy again, he may get some time at third base as well if the match-ups work out. But if he gets an opportunity at shortstop and produces, he could see significant time there. "If Jerry's real hot and we slip him in there and he does a nice job, we'll see how it goes," Roenicke said. "Hopefully Yuni gets hot and we don't have to worry about that." Late addition: It looked earlier in the week as if the Brewers were done adding players this season, but on Saturday the team purchased right-hander Michael Fiers' contract from Triple-A Nashville. Fiers, 26, spent time with Double-A Huntsville and Nashville this season, compiling a 13-3 record overall with a 1.86 ERA. He was 8-0 with a 1.11 ERA in Nashville. "He had a great year there," Roenicke said Saturday. "Once in a while we could use an extra arm in the bullpen. Having him there and knowing he's there, I think that's going to help us." Because Fiers threw the simulated game to Weeks on Saturday, he would be unavailable out of the bullpen Sunday, Roenicke said. He will be available again for Tuesday and Wednesday games against the Rockies. Line 'em up: With three off days over the next two weeks, the Brewers will do a little shuffling in the starting rotation. Roenicke said Friday that the rest of the series with Philadelphia would determine how things line up for the two-game set with Colorado and Cincinnati after that. "We've got two different possibilities, but I haven't talked to the starters yet, so I don't want to say anything," Roenicke said. "I don't think it will go in a line. We'll do some different things." How the Brewers align the rotation for the final 14 games of the season could affect how things line up for a possible postseason series. Roenicke may decide to break up certain starters or set things so certain pitchers would end up in optimal settings, such as home or away.