Brewers' Chourio and Vaughn are beginning rehab assignments as they approach return from injuries

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn are beginning rehabilitation assignments with hopes of being activated from the injured list by Monday.

Both players flew to Nashville — the home of the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate — on Tuesday as they recover from fractured bones in their left hands. Chourio hasn’t played at all this season, while Vaughn appeared in just one game before going on the injured list.

“It feels like it's finally here,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said before the Brewers' Tuesday night game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “That's a great feeling.”

Chourio was hit by a pitch from Washington’s Clayton Beeter while playing for Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic team in a March 4 exhibition with the Nationals at West Palm Beach, Florida.

The 22-year-old outfielder missed Venezuela’s first two World Baseball Classic games but returned to the lineup and helped his home country win the title. When Chourio felt bothered while attempting a check swing in late March, an MRI revealed a small hairline fracture at the base of the third metacarpal.

Chourio batted .270 with a .308 on-base percentage, 21 homers, 78 RBIs and 21 steals in 131 games.

Murphy acknowledged the frustration Chourio must be feeling from having to wait so long to make his season debut.

“It's one of those injuries where you don't want to risk the catastrophe of having to have surgery on it because you didn't give it proper time,” Murphy said. “But you feel great in the meantime. Like, ‘Why can’t I play?' But the recommendation is to make sure that it's in a space where the tendon's not going to be affected and you're not going to need surgery. Going through this has got to be tough on him. He loves to play.”

The 28-year-old Vaughn was injured during an at-bat in the Brewers' 14-2 season-opening win over the Chicago White Sox. He was diagnosed with a fractured hamate bone.

Vaughn hit .308 with a .375 on-base percentage, nine homers and 46 RBIs in 64 games with the Brewers after they acquired him from the Chicago White Sox last season. He had hit just .189 with a .218 on-base percentage, five homers ad 19 RBIs in 48 games with the White Sox.

The Brewers have struggled to produce much power with Chourio, Vaughn and Christian Yelich all on the injured list. Yelich has an adductor strain and is expected to return in mid to late May.

Milwaukee entered Tuesday having not homered in its last seven games. That represents the Brewers’ longest stretch without a homer since 1999, when they went a franchise-record 13 straight games without going deep.

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