While day-to-day, Jean Segura may be done for season

While day-to-day, Jean Segura may be done for season

Published Sep. 20, 2013 5:00 a.m. ET

MILWAUKEE -- There's a chance Jean Segura's fine first full season as the starting shortstop of the Milwaukee Brewers has come to an end.

While the team officially lists Segura as day-to-day with a strained right hamstring suffered in the first inning of Wednesday's game against the Cubs, the All-Star shortstop may not have enough time left in the season to recover.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke called the strain "mild," but nobody knows if Segura will be healthy enough with just nine days left.

"He's day to day. He's sore today," Roenicke said Thursday. "And I say day to day, but that doesn't mean (Thursday). We're not going to be dumb about this. I'd like to get him back out there, but not at the risk of putting him out there too early."

Segura hit .325 with 11 HR and 36 RBI in the first half of the season and earned a spot on the National League All-Star team. He's hitting just .245 with one home run and 13 RBI since the break, a drastic dip in numbers.

Despite experiencing some struggles, the 23-year-old has played nearly every day. Segura has still played good defense at shortstop, is second in baseball with 10 triples and leads the National League with 44 stolen bases.

The injury could cost Segura the chance to finish the season leading the National League in stolen bases, as New York's Eric Young Jr. has 39. Regardless of some ups and downs in the second half, Segura's overall numbers -- .296 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI - is more than most expected from the young shortstop this year.

"He should (be happy) with the stolen bases, the defense," Roenicke said. "The only thing is, he is going to get better driving in runs. I'm not satisfied; he's not satisfied with where he is on that. If you are strictly a leadoff batter, it's different, because your opportunities are less, but he was second in the lineup this year and he's had some opportunites."

Though a hamstring injury can happen at any time, Roenicke hinted he was bothered by Segura going down. He expanded on his thought Thursday, saying he has in the back of his mind that he could have given Segura more time off and maybe prevented the injury.

"I'm not worried about it, but it just bothers me," Roenicke said. "When I think about things it bothers me when something happens that I maybe could have done something about. It is a freak thing, but it still bothers me.

"These guys play hard, they play a lot. This sport is so different than other sports in how many games we play in a year. And physically, it's rare that a guy goes through a season without getting banged up. I don't even know anyone who has.

The Brewers had been fearful of Segura deciding to play winter ball after a long, tiresome season, but Roenicke feels Major League Baseball will take care of the issue. He feels the league will implement a rule in which players with a certain number of at-bats or a pitcher with a certain number of innings from the prior season won't be eligible to play.

"I think it will be settled," Roenicke said. "We won't have that battle."

As far as the rest of this season, Segura could return Friday or he could have played his last inning. Hamstring strains are very unpredictable, and the Brewers aren't going to risk the future of a key player just to get him back for a few games.

"Seggy has some pretty special things going on for him this year," Roenicke said. "I want him out there to play, but not to the point where I think that I'm putting him out there too much where something can happen."

Pitcher claimed: The Brewers claimed reliever Josh Ravin off waivers from Cincinnati on Thursday, taking a chance on another hard-throwing reliever with command issues.

To make room for Ravin on the 40-man roster, the Brewers designated first baseman/catcher Blake Lalli for assignment.

Ravin, 25, features a 99-100 mph fastball but has a history of being wild. Between Double A and Triple A this season, Ravin went 1-3 with a 5.82 ERA in 48 relief appearances. He walked 38 guys and struck out 48 in 51 innings and carries an average of 8.1 strikeouts and 6.1 walks per nine innings.

Cincinnati's fifth round pick in the 2006 draft, Ravin spent eight years with the Reds but never made it to the minor leagues.

Lalli hit .125 (3-for-24) with two RBI in 16 games for the Brewers this season. The 30-year-old spent most of his season with Triple-A Nashville, hitting .282 with 11 HR and 35 RBI in 82 games.


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