Pat Murphy gives Brewers’ Rhys Hoskins an encouraging report on his injured comeback timeframe.
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins has been out since injured his hamstring on May 13, but manager Pat Murphy gave a positive update on his slugger.
Murphy stated that Hoskins may be able to play in the Brewers’ series against the Chicago White Sox this weekend, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Murphy said that there are still some decisions to be made, but Hoskins is doing well.
Getting Hoskins back would be important for Milwaukee.
Prior to his injury, Hoskins was hitting.233/.340/.474, with nine home runs and 27 RBI in 156 plate appearances. He is a huge power hitter in the Brewers’ lineup who still leads the team in long balls despite not playing in two and a half weeks.
Despite Hoskins’ absence, Milwaukee has remained unfazed. The Milwaukee Brewers are 33-23 and lead the National League Central by five games over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Brewers’ offense has been surging
The Brewers have one of baseball’s best offenses this season.
Milwaukee is sixth in batting average, fourth in OPS, seventh in home runs, and fourth in runs scored in 2024, despite without its finest power hitter, Hoskins.
All of that offensive productivity is due in large part to catcher William Contreras, who is hitting.323/.394/.509 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs. Christian Yelich’s comeback has also been significant, as the resurgent outfielder has a slash line of.306/.390/.546 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 124 plate appearances. Furthermore, third baseman Joey Ortiz has an.875 OPS.
Combine that with some solid pitching, and it’s no surprise that the Brewers are top in their division.
Of course, Milwaukee has enjoyed a lot of regular-season success since 2018. It has simply not translated into much playoff harmony.
Since 2018, the Brewers have made five postseason trips, but they have only advanced to the NLCS once. That happened in 2018, when Milwaukee lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers after seven games.
Last season, the Brewers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card Round.
Could things be different this time around?
Milwaukee undoubtedly has the offensive pieces, especially if Yelich continues to hit so effectively. Plus, if Hoskins can return and remain healthy, the Brewers will become much more dangerous. After all, Hoskins has a lifetime OPS of.844 and has hit 30 or more home runs twice in his career.
Hoskins joined with Milwaukee in January after missing the entire 2023 season due to a ruptured ACL. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. His greatest season with the Phillies was in 2018, when he hit.246/.354/.496 with 34 home runs and 96 RBI in 660 plate appearances.
The 31-year-old has never challenged for the batting title, with a lifetime average of.242. However, his ability to draw walks and hit with power compensates for it. Hoskins led the National League with 116 walks in 2019.
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