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Brewers’ Rhys Hoskins has encouraging outlook on hamstring injury before MRI

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated 5/14/24

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins left his team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night due to a hamstring injury, but there is some good news here.

Hoskins was “encouraged” that the injury was to his right leg rather than his left leg, via The Associated Press. Hoskins missed the entire 2023 campaign with a torn left ACL while he was with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy was very diplomatic when asked about the status of his slugger. While he didn’t want to speculate on whether or not Hoskins would end up on the injured list, he didn’t take a very optimistic approach, either.

“Usually hamstrings are not better in a few days,” Murphy said.

It obviously depends on the severity of the injury, which will be revealed once Hoskins’ MRI results are returned.

Hoskins went 1-for-1 before exiting against the Pirates.

Rhys Hoskins has been a huge part of the Brewers’ lineup

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (12) leaves the game with an injury in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at American Family Field. Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Brewers signed Hoskins back in January, hoping that the veteran would bring some thump to their offense.

That is exactly what he has done.

Through 38 games, Hoskins has slashed .233/.340/.474 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. He had also been very hot recently up until getting injured, as he logged at least one RBI in five straight games and homered three times throughout that stretch.

The 31-year-old, who played his collegiate baseball at California State University, was originally selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

Hoskins broke into the big leagues in 2017 and was very impressive in 50 games, slashing .259/.396/.618 with 18 long balls and 48 RBI. Then, in his first full season the following year, Hoskins bashed 34 dingers, drove in 96 runs and flashed an .850 OPS.

He remained a steady force in Philadelphia’s lineup throughout his tenure there, leading the league with 116 walks in 2019 and registering an OPS of well over .800 in each of his first five seasons. He slipped a bit in 2022, slashing .246/.332/.462, but he still managed to post 30 homers and 79 RBI.

Hoskins’ issue is that he is not much of a defender, but his bat has mostly been good enough to make up for his deficiencies with his glove.

Milwaukee has been one of the best offensive teams in baseball this year, as it ranks fourth in batting average, third in OPS, sixth in home runs and fourth in runs scored. The Brewers’ dynamic offense is a big reason why they sit in first place in the NL Central at 24-17, although they hold just a half-game lead over the second-place Chicago Cubs.

The Brew Crew have made the playoffs in five of the last six seasons, winning three division titles along the way. However, they have only made it as far as the NLCS once in that span, which came back in 2018 when they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.

Last season, Milwaukee went 92-70 and was swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card Round.

The Brewers are certainly hoping Hoskins can get healthy soon, as they will need him as they make a push back to the playoffs.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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