PHOENIX -- The Brewers expect outfielder Blake Perkins to be sidelined until at least mid-April and perhaps into May, manager Pat Murphy said, after the slick-fielding center fielder fractured his right lower leg on a foul ball during live batting practice last week.
Murphy said Perkins would have to heal for the next three to four weeks, followed by a ramp-up of four to six weeks after that.
“Perkins is a big part of the team,” Murphy said. “The chemistry of the team, the whole thing, Perk is huge. One of the most loved guys on the club, you know? And he’s a great defender. He’s coming into his own as an offensive player. It’s going to hurt us.”
Perkins, 28, set career highs last season for games (121) and plate appearances (434) while slashing .240/.316/.332. On a team with a pair of Gold Glove Award winners (second baseman Brice Turang and right fielder Sal Frelick), Perkins led the Brewers in Statcast’s fielding run value (+9).
Perkins was expected to be a prominent part of Milwaukee’s Opening Day outfield rotation with Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick. Isaac Collins and Brewer Hicklen are also on the 40-man roster, and each has Minor League options.
The Brewers are moving to backfill some depth with 30-year-old veteran outfielder Manuel Margot, who was on the cusp of finalizing a Minor League contract as of Saturday morning. Margot, who posted a .626 OPS in 129 games last season with the Twins, has been in camp the past few days, but his contract had yet to be finalized pending results of his physical.
Other Brewers health news on Saturday:
? Right-handed reliever J.B. Bukauskas, a non-roster invitee expected to provide bullpen depth this season after a lat injury ruined his 2024 campaign, suffered a major setback and is weighing surgery, according to Murphy. Bukauskas was injured while throwing live batting practice on Thursday.
“It seems to be a serious injury,” Murphy said. “He’s got to make a decision between surgery and rehab. He’s [injured that area] three times, I think, possibly four, so he’s contemplating that right now.”
? In better news, right-hander Brandon Woodruff called his latest live BP session on Friday “a home run for me.” One week after his first such test, Woodruff threw 26 pitches and again touched 92 mph while facing a series of hitters in the main stadium at American Family Fields of Phoenix.
Best of all, Woodruff said, is that he recovered overnight even better than last time. That gives him the chance to shave a day off the timeline for the next session, which could come as early as Thursday. His timeline to pitch in games is open-ended, and it remains clear Woodruff won’t be ready in time to be part of the Opening Day rotation.
“You just keep stacking days like that,” Woodruff said. “It’s going to take time, but if I can go out and pitch off the mound, come in the next day and recover good, that’s a great day regardless of what things look like on the mound. …
“I think I [said this] before: Don’t judge me off of this first half. Kind of wait until the second half when I’m fully [back] -- because the last thing that comes with this surgery is the whip at the end of the release. But man, I feel good and I’m recovering. That’s huge.”