Return timeline key for Weeks to contribute

It's been a little more than a week since Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks sprained his ankle on an infield single and despite some progress, his timetable for return remains unclear. Just how long the All-Star infielder needs to get back to full health and return to action will be key to just how much he is able to contribute to the Brewers' chase for the National League Central and beyond. The Brewers said it would take between two and six weeks for the severely sprained left ankle to heal. That leaves quite a range for recovery and Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said even a week can be a major difference. "It can mean a lot," Roenicke said. "It's a question of how do you get him in shape. The timing can be really important there because once he's ready to go, if we don't have any games or places to send him (for a rehab assignment), it's going to make it a lot more difficult for us to get him back in shape." The season for the Brewers' minor league affiliates ends Sept. 5, putting in jeopardy Weeks' opportunity to spend time with one of those clubs as he sharpens his baseball skills and gets back into everyday duties. The toughest part about predicting Weeks' recovery is figuring out how much time he may need to get back to full speed. Roenicke said it was a tough call predicting how much time Weeks would need, as each injury is different. "I think if the ankle is completely healthy and he gets maybe four or five days ... but again, you've got to ease into that, so it's more like a week (to get comfortable)," Roenicke said. If Weeks took the full six weeks and then needed at least one week to get back into the swing of things, he would have less than three weeks of regular season left. Thus, a week shorter or longer in the rehab process can make a big difference. Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy can relate to challenging rehabs after missing all of Spring Training and the first 10 games of the season with a broken finger. Lucroy said getting comfortable hitting again was the part of his rehab that took the longest. "It takes time," Lucroy said. "It's a process when you get hurt. You've got to be patient with it. You can't overdo it." "They told me I'd be out like a month but it ended up being a month and a half because I needed a couple weeks to get my swing back." Lucroy sympathizes with Weeks' situation in particular because of the timing. Getting hurt early and missing games in April, Lucroy said, is much different than going down during a pennant race. "I feel for Rickie," Lucroy said. "I feel for (Carlos Gomez) too. I feel for the guys that are hurt because you want to be a part of something all year. They're still a part of our team; they're just not able to contribute. I can't even imagine how tough it is." Weeks still hasn't spoken with reporters since the injury, so any news of his early progress is from secondary sources. Roenicke said Weeks is "still a long ways away," though he has shown minor progress. Weeks is off crutches and in a walking boot, and on Tuesday, Weeks walked out onto the field at Miller Park for the team photo. Roenicke said he walked slowly, but was not limping. Asked if he expected Weeks back before the end of September, Roenicke said he did but hesitated a bit, not wanting to make a prediction and have it proven wrong. For now, he is just happy to see his second baseman moving around in good spirits. "These bad ankle sprains, they're not easy to predict how quick a guy comes back," Roenicke said. "I was really encouraged to see Rickie walking out on the field."