CINCINNATI — After an unfortunate interaction with the outfield wall at Great American Ball Park during Saturday’s batting practice, Rowdy Tellez can be added to the list of unusual injuries in Brewers history.
There was Robin Yount, who fell down at spring practice in 1978 after shredding his ankle in a dirt bike accident, Steve Sparks, who severed his shoulder trying to tear a phone book in half in 1994, and Matt Wise , who cut his finger with tongs while making a salad in 2006. In 2011, Zack Greinke broke a rib playing basketball and Chris Narveson cut his finger while fixing his glove. There was Francisco Rodríguez stepping barefoot on a cactus in 2014, Jonathan Lucroy’s broken hand from a falling suitcase in 2012, Scooter Gennett cutting his hand on a shower shelf in 2015, and Will Smith breaking his shoelace in 2016 knees twisted.
Now there’s Tellez – a first baseman already on the injured list who was injured in batting practice trying to make a catch on the outfield wall.
“I actually saw it,” said Brewers manager Craig Counsell. “It looked like an innocent thing. Somehow his finger got stuck in the wall.”
Counsell said Tellez’s finger was stuck between padded sections of outfield wall right at the 404-foot mark in midfield. He tore the nail bed on the ring finger of his left hand and suffered what Counsell described as a “minor fracture” at the end of that finger. Tellez needed 17 stitches and will be out of action for two to three weeks.
“That probably means we won’t see him back on the field for another three to four weeks,” Counsell said.
How does an IL first baseman find himself in the outfield banging flyballs? Counsell said there was a legitimate reason: Tellez did it for conditioning in the Cincinnati heat ahead of his scheduled return from the IL Tuesday in Philadelphia. His outfield incident came on the same day he was able to return after injuring his right forearm.
It’s been a tough run for Tellez. He was Milwaukee’s home run leader last season and was one of the club’s strongest hitters well into May this year. However, he has not hit a home run since May 22 and has had an OPS of .410 since then. Just before the All-Star break, when the forearm was becoming a nuisance, the team placed him on the IL.
The Brewers played utility man Owen Miller at first base in Tellez’s absence and will continue to do so, Counsell said. A move to add depth is possible, although a prominent option for a Triple-A Nashville call-up, Keston Hiura, has featured in the majors on multiple occasions. Hiura has a .972 OPS in the Minors this season.
The Great American Ball Park has been tough for the Brewers this year. First baseman Darin Ruf broke his right knee and suffered a laceration deep enough to expose tendons and ligaments when he hit the tarp on June 2. Since then he has been in the IL.
Now the ballpark has also claimed Tellez.
“It’s a terrible accident,” Counsell said.