The Milwaukee Brewers placed star outfielder Jackson Chourio on the 10-day injured list Thursday because of a fracture in his left hand — an injury that occurred when he was playing for Venezuela in the WBC on March 4.
“Things are gonna happen. You gotta be able to just not flinch. I’m disappointed for the kid, because he was so excited about the season coming off the WBC the way he did,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Thursday.
Chourio was hit by a pitch from Clayton Beeter while playing in a WBC exhibition game against the Nationals. He had played since then, but had been experiencing discomfort in his hand, and an MRI revealed a small hairline fracture of the third metacarpal.
The move was made retroactive to Wednesday.
“We looked a little deeper because he still had the soreness, and looking deeper, got an MRI, and he’s got a slight fracture in there, a hairline fracture that, if you don’t address it, it could lead to something really serious,” Murphy said. “So, we made a decision to let it calm down and heal even more.”
The Brewers’ early estimate is that Chourio will miss two to four weeks before he returns to the lineup for a team that will try to get back to the playoffs after finishing last season with the best record in baseball.
“Hopefully we can get it healed here soon and get back to work. We don’t think it’s long term,” Murphy said.
Last year, Chourio batted .270 with 21 home runs and 78 RBIs and led the Brewers with 35 doubles and four triples. He is entering the third season of an eight-year, $82 million contract.
The Brewers replaced Chourio on the major league roster by recalling outfielder Blake Perkins from Triple-A Nashville.
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle contributed to this report.
