Brewers will likely move position player to make room for Saito

With the long-awaited return of reliever Takashi Saito coming Friday or Saturday in Minnesota, the Milwaukee Brewers will have to clear a spot on the major league roster.Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Thursday in New York that the team would send out a position player rather than a pitcher, according to FOX Sports Wisconsin's Telly Hughes.Roenicke said before Thursday's series finale with the Yankees that the team wants to return to a seven-man bullpen for the road series with the Twins after short starts from Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. The choice to move a position player off the 25-man roster creates a difficult decision for the Brewers. The team brought hot-hitting first baseman Mat Gamel up from Triple-A Nashville to serve as the designated hitter during the team's two interleague series on the road, but could choose to send him back down.The Brewers have a few other options on the bench, including outfielder Carlos Gomez, but Roenicke said that move is unlikely, and he has made it clear throughout the season how much he values Gomez's defensive ability. The team's other reserve outfielderfirst baseman, Mark Kotsay, has struggled lately with a 0-for-17 slump and an overall batting average of .231, just nine RBI and no home runs.Craig Counsell seems certainly safe as a Milwaukee favorite and the Brewers' best defensive reserve, which could put Josh Wilson at risk. Wilson, acquired off waivers from the Diamondbacks in late May, has given the Brewers a right-handed option as a pinch-hitter and batted .242 with four RBI and two home runs in 23 at-bats.Roenicke did not say when exactly the team would make the move, but it will depend on when the team decides to activate Saito, who made a rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Nashville. In one scoreless inning of work, Saito allowed one hit and struck out two batters.Saito made five total appearances with the Sounds on his current rehab assignment, posting five scoreless innings and six strikeouts. He appeared with Nashville in late April as part of a rehab assignment for hamstring tightness, but was strained an oblique and remained out of action for the next two months. During that stint, Saito also dealt with upper back tightness that caused him to miss a rehab outing with Single-A Wisconsin.In just two appearances with the Brewers this season, Saito is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA. The 41-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Brewers in the offseason.