Roenicke still feeling out situation at 2nd base

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers know they can't fill the hole left in the lineup by second baseman Rickie Weeks' absence, but after a pair of trades, they are pretty confident they can make do until he gets back. With a number of options now on hand, the Brewers can begin to feel out the situation at second base and develop a plan as Weeks heals from a severe ankle sprain. Determining the primary option should be a fairly quick process. "It's not going to be a week," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "A few games and we don't like what we see, we have other choices. "It's a nice thing to have just because we have experience there, we have some history there with guys who have hit the ball. We'll just see how we do with that." The trades brought in infielder Felipe Lopez and utility man Jerry Hairston, Jr. to go along with veteran Craig Counsell and Josh Wilson, giving the Brewers sudden depth in the infield. However, Roenicke has not yet committed to any plan for the mix-and-match setup. Lopez has started all three days since his arrival, but Roenicke said that did not mean he would be getting the most playing time. "We're going to see how it goes," Roenicke said. "I'm definitely not going to say he's going to get the bulk of (starts). If he has a lot of days like he had (Saturday) he won't get the bulk of them." Roenicke was referring to Lopez's Saturday performance, a 0-for-4 effort that included three strikeouts. That effort was a bit of a departure from his Friday, when he went 2-for-4 with a run scored in his Brewers debut. The Brewers want to see how Lopez fares offensively, as well as Hairston, to help decide their best option the majority of the time. Lopez's switch hitting could give him an edge, but beyond that it provides another reason for Roenicke to take a strategic approach to his lineup. "I've got so many guys now that can do all these things that we can look at some matchups a little more," Roenicke said. Hairston also offers reasons to look closely at matchups with opposing pitchers, particularly his defensive versatility. His ability to play anywhere in the infield plus the outfield allows Roenicke to use him in more specific ways offensively. While the plan for second base is still a little unsettled, it appears Lopez and Hairston will get the most opportunities. Hairston, though, will almost certainly be used at third base as well. Roenicke still likes Counsell when he wants solid defense, but Counsell is also mired in an extended hitting slump. Roenicke said Wilson may be affected most by the sudden influx of infield options, but he still plans to get him playing time. "I need to try to get him in there once in a while," Roenicke said of Wilson. "Whether it's once a week or whatever I do, I need to try to." However the plan for second base works out, the Brewers are confident they will get through Weeks' absence without falling out of contention. Just how they do that should become clearer over the next few days.