MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's starter for Tuesday's game against Minnesota has finally been answered — sort of.
Right-hander Alfredo Figaro will start against the Twins if he isn't needed out of the bullpen in Monday's game. If Wily Peralta gives the Brewers a short start Monday, or the game goes into extra innings, Milwaukee has a backup plan in place for Tuesday.
But assuming everything works according to plan Monday, Figaro will start and go as far as he can go. A former starter in the minor leagues and in Japan, the 28-year-old has worked exclusively out of the bullpen this season for the Brewers.
Signed as a minor league free agent in January, Figaro made the club out of spring training and has a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings.
"He's extended enough," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He has his pitch count up there. He's a strong guy. We're not going to go six or seven innings with him. If everything goes well today and we can get him out there tomorrow, hopefully he'll have a couple of innings where he has low pitch counts and we can keep him out there."
Lohse on track: Brewers right-hander Kyle Lohse threw a bullpen session prior to Monday's game against Minnesota. If all goes according to plan, Lohse will start Thursday against the Twins in Minneapolis.
"He's been good," Roenicke said. "The last couple days have been good."
Like Lohse, left-hander Chris Narveson threw another bullpen session Monday. The next step for him is to go out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville later this week.
Part of the plan: With Ryan Braun having to sit with a right thumb injury, Roenicke would have loved to have written third baseman Aramis Ramirez in his lineup.
But after playing three days in a row, Ramirez needs a day off to rest his left knee he sprained during spring training and again during the first week of the season.
"He's battling through this thing," Roenicke said. "It's not like the days I have him out there he's feeling really good. He knows he wants to play. He knows we need him out there. It's not 100 percent."
New addition: The Brewers have signed veteran right-hander Clay Hensley to a minor league contract to fill the void left at Triple-A Nashville by Donovan Hand's promotion to the big leagues.
Hensley, 33, began the season in the Reds organization with Triple-A Louisville, going 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings before being released on May 20.
Hensley has appeared in 271 big league games, spending all of 2012 with the San Francisco Giants. Over the course of seven seasons, Hensley is 28-34 with a 4.00 ERA in his Major League career.
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