After initial reports said that Brewers first baseman Travis Ishikawa could be the latest Milwaukee player on the mend, the team confirmed after Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks that Ishikawa will head to the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique. The move will be retroactive to May 26.
Triple-A Nashville infielder Brooks Conrad, who went 0-for-21 in 13 games with the Brewers earlier this season, will be called up to replace Ishikawa. Conrad has been on fire since returning to Nashville after his brief stint in the major leagues. In 21 games this season with the Sounds, Conrad has 10 home runs and 28 RBI.
Ishikawa told reporters that he had been dealing with the injury for over a week, but the pain had not gone away. He wasn't sure where the injury originated from.
In addition to Ishikawa's injury, Roenicke also admitted that reliever Kameron Loe was unavailable for Sunday's game due to an issue with his elbow. And with Loe, Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Gomez all dealing with nagging or minor injuries, the Brewers health problems are lingering beyond the disabled list.
"We're banged up," Roenicke admitted to reporters. "We're banged up, but we should still be winning ballgames."
Ishikawa had been playing in a timeshare with fellow infielder Taylor Green and outfielder-turned-first baseman Corey Hart. He had been batting .250 with four home runs and 14 RBI this season.
The injury to the Brewers first baseman is another tough loss for a team that's struggling to even fill out a lineup every day. Through 47 games, Milwaukee is now without two first basemen, two shortstops, and two No. 5 starters, all of which are on the disabled list.
To fill that No. 5 starter spot, which will come up again on Tuesday, the Brewers are expected to call up right-hander Michael Fiers from Triple A. Fiers is 1-3 with a 4.42 ERA in 10 starts in Nashville this season.
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