CINCINNATI — Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez had surgery on his left ring finger after injuring himself during pregame warmups and will miss an additional four weeks.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Tellez was shagging fly balls in the outfield Saturday and got his finger stuck in the padding of the center-field wall. Tellez tore his fingernail off and had to undergo surgery to insert 17 stitches and repair a small fracture on the end of the finger. He had been on track to return Tuesday in Philadelphia.
“It was a freak accident,” Counsell said Sunday. “Wasn’t sprinting, wasn’t going at a high speed, believe me. I actually saw it. Looked like a very innocent thing. Probably means we won’t see him back with us for four weeks.”
Tellez isn’t expected to resume baseball activity for two to three weeks. He has been on the injured list since July 5 with right forearm inflammation.
Tellez is hitting .213 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs. Owen Miller is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at first base.
On June 2, Brewers infielder/designated hitter Darin Ruf cut a knee when he collided with the tarp roller while chasing a foul ball in Cincinnati.
“Our trainers are unhappy with whatever’s going on at Great American Ball Park,” Counsell quipped.
Also Sunday, the Brewers placed third baseman Brian Anderson on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, with a lower back strain. Infielder Jahmai Jones was recalled from Triple-A Nashville.
“As we kind of got through yesterday, he wasn’t doing great,” Counsell said of Anderson. “The likelihood of him playing in the Philadelphia series got pretty slim, so it was logical to put him on the injured list.”
Anderson is batting .229 with nine homers and 38 RBIs in 292 at-bats.