MILWAUKEE — Just when the Milwaukee Brewers could least afford it, the injury bug bit again, as shortstop Jean Segura left Sunday's game against Arizona with a left quad contusion and is day-to-day.
With just a four-man bench, the Brewers started the season thin. Left fielder Ryan Braun has been unable to play the last three days with a neck strain, leaving just two players plus the backup catcher on the bench.
If Segura is out for a couple of days, the Brewers would have to play Yuniesky Betancourt at third base, Alex Gonzalez at shortstop and start backup catcher Martin Maldonado at first base.
"We'll see how it feels tomorrow," Segura said after Sunday's loss to the Diamondbacks. "It's pretty sore. I don't know if it is going to be tomorrow. My leg is pretty sore."
Segura was injured in the third inning on a hard takeout slide by Diamondbacks center fielder Gerardo Parra. First baseman Yuniesky Betancourt made a nice play on a ground ball off the bat of left fielder Martin Prado, but throw was high and wide, taking Segura off the bag.
Segura wasn't pleased with the slide that injured him, though Brewers manager Ron Roenicke took no issue with it.
"I don't think it was a good slide," Segura said. "But that's OK."
Segura was on the ground for some time but eventually got up, did sprints in the outfield and stayed in the game. He hit into an inning-ending fielder's choice in the bottom of the inning and was pulled prior to the start of the fifth.
"It started getting a little sorer," Roenicke said. "It was sore (at first) but he stayed in there. It tightened up some, so I thought it was better looking at tomorrow and the next few days getting him out of there instead of trying to keep him in that game and sacrificing the next few days."
The Brewers, already playing without Braun (neck strain) and third baseman Aramis Ramirez (left knee sprain), have been hit hard by injuries during the first week of the season. Without their Nos. 3 and 4 hitters -- No. 5 hitter first baseman Corey Hart is also still recovering from knee surgery -- the Brewers had to run a makeshift lineup out for the series finale against the Diamondbacks.
Hitting .500 (9-for-18) entering Sunday's game, Segura was moved up to third in the lineup. The domino-like impact of his injury caused Maldonado to move from catcher to first base, Betancourt to move from first base to third base, Gonzalez to shift from third base to shortstop and Jonathan Lucroy came in at catcher.
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