Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun has battled a balky back all year and is planning to have surgery after the season.
Despite the issues with his back, Braun has managed to hit .287 with 25 home runs, 84 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 501 at-bats heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
“I’ve known that for a couple of months,” Braun told MLB.com. “If it were to get worse, it would prolong the recovery time, so that’s what we’re trying to avoid. It’s kind of a fine line that we’re walking there.”
The 31-year-old Braun has a five-year, $105 million contract extension that starts in 2016, but is committed to finishing this season even though the Brewers are out of postseason contention.
“It’s kind of a challenging situation, just kind of understanding what I’m dealing with in my back,” he said. “Obviously, I want to play, I want to get out there, but I don’t want to risk significantly prolonging the recovery process of the procedure I’m going to have.
“I do a lot of work with the trainers every day. The training staff here is pretty spectacular, and I’ll trust their vision and I’ll continue to do what I can to get out there, but also be smart about it.”
The Brewers will continue to monitor Braun’s health during the final two weeks of this season.
“He still wants to play,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said, “but we’re going to make sure that if and when he does play, he’s ready to play. He’s got a back issue. Right now at this point, it’s manageable, but we don’t want it to get worse.”