Brewers to reinstate 2B Kolten Wong from IL before Friday's game

The Brewers are planning to activate second baseman Kolten Wong from the injured list before Friday’s series opener against the Cubs, manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee is off on Thursday.

Wong went on the IL with a left oblique strain April 10, but he’ll miss only a few days more than the 10-day minimum. The Brewers more than held their own in his absence, compiling an 8-3 record punctuated by a three-game sweep of the Padres. Still, Wong’s return will be a welcome development for a Milwaukee club that added him in free agency over the winter. He hasn’t hit much over his first seven games as a Brewer, but Wong has a lengthy track record of solid offense and Gold Glove-caliber defense at the keystone.

With Wong back manning second base, the Brewers figure to bump Keston Hiura back to first and push Daniel Vogelbach out of the starting lineup. Hiura, though, is off to a dreadful start to the year after struggling in 2020.