The Milwaukee Brewers have lost another starter to the disabled list, as second baseman Scooter Gennett was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday with a left hand laceration.
Gennett suffered a cut between the index and middle finger on his left hand on a shower rack in the visiting clubhouse at PNC Park in Pittsburgh following Sunday's loss to the Pirates. The wound was deep enough to require five stitches.
The Brewers purchased the contract of utility man Elian Herrera from Triple-A Colorado Springs to fill the vacant roster spot.
To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed reliever Brandon Kintzler was designated for assignment.
Milwaukee now has three of its eight starters on the DL, as Carlos Gomez has a strained right hamstring, while Jonathan Lucroy suffered a fractured left big toe in Monday's loss to Cincinnati.
One of the final cuts this spring, Herrera is hitting .422 with two home runs and nine RBI in 11 games with Colorado Springs.
The 30-year-old hit .274 in a career-high 140 plate appearances over 69 games with the Brewers in 2014, bouncing back and forth from Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville four different times.
Gennett's disabled list stint is retroactive to April 20, meaning the earliest he can return is May 5 when the Brewers host the Los Angeles Dodgers at Miller Park. In the meantime, a combination of Hector Gomez, Herrera and Luis Jimenez will fill in at second base for Milwaukee.
After posting a 6.48 ERA in 8 1/3 innings this spring, Kintzler was optioned to Colorado Springs on March 29. He recorded just one out and allowed two earned runs in his lone appearance for the Sky Sox before being placed on the disabled list with a fingernail avulsion.
Kintzler made 135 appearances over the past two seasons with Milwaukee, posting a 2.69 ERA as the team's primary set-up man in 2013 and a 3.24 ERA as a middle reliever in 2014.
The 30-year-old pitched 2014 with a knee injury that later required surgery. Kintzler avoided arbitration this offseason by agreeing to a one-year, $1.075 million contract with the Brewers.
If Kintzler clears waivers, the Brewers have 10 days to trade, release or outright the right-hander to the minor leagues.
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