The Brewers placed second baseman Kolten Wong on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left oblique, per a club announcement. Infielder/outfielder Pablo Reyes is up from Triple-A Nashville in his place.
It’s the second oblique strain of the season for Wong, who figures to be looking at an absence of some note. Wong and manager Craig Counsell told reporters Friday that the injury occurred in the exact same spot as the left oblique strain he suffered in April (Twitter link via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). As such, the club is going to be more cautious to ensure that the injury is fully healed, which likely indicates Wong will miss more time than the two weeks he missed with that first strain.
The timing of the move is rather poor for the Brewers, who’ve been enjoying a highly productive stretch at the plate from the Gold Glove second baseman. Since returning from that first IL stint, Wong had raked at a .303./.342/.486 clip with four homers, a dozen doubles, a triple and four stolen bases through 152 plate appearances.
With Wong shelved for a yet-to-be-determined period of time, the bulk of the innings at second base will fall to recently displaced shortstop Luis Urias. The 24-year-old former top prospect opened the year getting regular reps at short, but defensive shortcomings prompted the Brewers to swing a trade for Willy Adames. With Wong now on the shelf, Urias will slide down the defensive spectrum and look to tap into his considerable offensive potential while playing a position more suited to his abilities. He’s swinging a good bat at the moment, having homered in consecutive games and batted .303/.361/.636 over his past 12 contests.