Brewers Place Cooper Pratt On 10-Day IL

The Brewers have placed shortstop Cooper Pratt on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. In corresponding moves, the Brewers selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae and designated left-hander Drew Rom for assignment.

Pratt suffered the injury in the Brewers’ 4-3 win over the Twins on Saturday, manager Pat Murphy indicated (via the Associated Press). The severity is unknown, but hamstring strains often lead to lengthy absences. To name one recent example, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger was given a four- to six-week timeline when he hit the IL with a Grade 2 strain in late July. A similar outcome would be suboptimal for the Brewers, who have a 5 1/2-game lead on the Cubs in the National League Central and are three ahead of the Dodgers and Braves for the NL’s best record.

Milwaukee has gotten good production from Pratt, whom the team awarded an eight-year, $50.75MM contract extension. Pratt hadn’t even debuted in the majors at the point, and the Brewers waited until mid-June to promote him. Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton divided the work at shortstop over the first couple of the months, but Pratt has been a regular since he came up.

With just two home runs and a .096 ISO, the 21-year-old has offered little power, but he has still hit a respectable .272/.352/.368 (102 wRC+). Pratt has notched above-average strikeout and walk rates (20.1% and 11.3) and chipped in 10 steals on the base paths. He has also earned positive marks at short, where he has been credited with 5 Defensive Runs Saved, 3 Outs Above Average and 3 Fielding Run Value.

Pratt’s injury isn’t the lone health issue in the Brewers’ infield. Earlier Sunday, Rosiak reported Ortiz is considered day-to-day with neck and mid-back troubles. Additionally, at the Triple-A level, high-end infield/outfield prospect Jett Williams will visit a specialist in Arizona after aggravating a wrist injury on Saturday. Williams had just returned from an absence of two-plus weeks, but it appears he will miss more time and erase any chance of a near-term promotion.

Hard up for healthy infielders, the Brewers are turning to Bae as a depth option. They added the 27-year-old South Korea native on a minor league deal earlier Sunday, per Rosiak. Bae was once a legitimate prospect with the Pirates, who gave him a $1.25MM signing bonus in 2018, but he has not panned out in the majors. After he took 514 plate appearances and hit just .223/.294/.293 (62 wRC+) with two homers and 37 steals from 2022-25, the Pirates waived him. The Mets claimed Bae last November, but he did not reach the majors with them this year. Over 371 PA with Triple-A Syracuse, he batted .257/.360/.368 with three long balls and six steals.

Rom, 26, inked a minors pact with the Brewers in the offseason. The former Cardinal has only made five appearances with the Brew Crew. He walked four over that 5 2/3-inning sample, but he also struck out 11 and gave up just two runs. Rom only has 39 1/3 career big league frames to under his belt, but he has been excellent in Triple-A ball this year. Across 41 innings in Nashville, Rom has pitched to a 2.20 ERA while punching out 36.1% of hitters and walking just 6.5%. Rom still has two minor league options left, but if no one claims him, he will be able to reject an outright assignment if he wants. The Cardinals previously outrighted Rom, giving him the right to reject another outright in favor of free agency.