The Milwaukee Brewers are on the verge of clinching the National League Central division. After winning Monday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs, they entered Tuesday owning an eight-game lead over their division rivals.
A huge reason why Milwaukee has once again been the best team in the NL this regular season has been first baseman and outfielder Jake Bauers. Entering this year he was not expected to play such a massive role in their success.
However, while other veterans on the roster have struggled he has picked up the slack as one of the best hitters in MLB. Across 130 games, the 30-year-old has posted a .270 batting average, .397 on-base percentage, .890 OPS, 24 home runs and 78 RBIs.
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Bauers has been battling shin splints since August, and given how deep the Brewers are into the regular season there is not enough time to fully address it. It is an issue he will have to manage the rest of the way.
While it has not noticeably affected his production, it is still something that requires careful monitoring, and as a result Bauers was held out of the lineup for Monday’s matchup with Chicago. He did appear late as a pinch hitter and drew a walk.
Once again ahead of Tuesday’s matchup, Bauers was held out of the starting nine. Manager Pat Murphy cited managing his shin splints as the primary reason, but also pointed to the matchup against Cubs southpaw David Peterson, via Brewers reporter Dominic Cotroneo.
It is interesting to see Murphy take him out against a lefty. Despite being a left-handed hitter, Bauers does not have significant platoon splits and has performed well this year regardless of which side the pitcher throws from.
Still, the main reason is rest. In a game that matters but where the Brewers can afford to be cautious, getting Bauers off his feet and making sure he is at full strength when October baseball arrives is the smart play.
