MILWAUKEE — Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun was out of the lineup for the second straight day on Wednesday with a rib injury, but made an appearance in a pinch-hitting role in the ninth inning. The Brewers had originally hoped Braun would return to the lineup to finish off the team’s series with the Rockies, but manager Ron Roenicke opted to give Braun another day off with an off-day coming Thursday.
“We want to make sure that when we get (Braun) back out there, we’re able to keep him out there,” Roenicke said. “As well as he was swinging in spring training, I want to make sure he gets back to that point.”
Braun is returning from an offseason during which he had experimental surgery to repair a damaged nerve in his right thumb. He missed 25 games last year with a variety of nagging injuries, but said he did not feel pain in the thumb throughout spring training. His absence so early in the season is still concerning, however, for a club that is counting on him to be a mainstay in the heart of the order.
Gerardo Parra is filling in for Braun while he’s on the bench, with first baseman Adam Lind sliding into the third spot in the lineup. Braun is still considered day-to-day at this point, but Roenicke expects him to return this weekend as the Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates.