Ryan Braun's thumb injury may be getting worse

Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun was a scratch Tuesday night because of ongoing problems with is right thumb. Here's Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Manager Ron Roenicke removed the struggling Braun from the starting lineup Tuesday because his hand/thumb was bothering him even more of late. The former all-star has performed poorly at the plate since the all-star break, batting .230 with seven homers and 26 RBI.

On this home stand, Braun was 3-for-15 (.200) with one RBI.

Asked about his thumb over the weekend, Braun declined to get into specifics about how it has affected his play. But Roenicke indicated it's not just the right thumb but also that hand that has prevented Braun from gripping a bat properly.

To state the obvious, thumb/hand injuries are troubling, power-sapping things that tend to linger, and that's precisely the case with Braun right now.

Braun's batting .273/.323/.471 on the season with 18 homers in 118 games. That's well below the former MVP's usual standards, and, as Haudricourt points out, he's been trending downward of late. Suffice it to say, this isn't good news for the Brewers, who, despite their ongoing spiral, remain in the race for a playoff berth.


(cbssports.com)