ARobsBrewCrew

Target for Dinges’ return behind the plate is now by August 1.

Gillis has a partial UCL tear and is now waiting on a second opinion to determine course of action. His 2026 season is over, but there is a chance that he might be able to avoid surgery which could potentially save a significant portion of his 2027 campaign.

He has dealt with extensive shoulder problems throughout his recovery. Recently, it was discovered that he has a lesion in his shoulder that will require surgery. Suffice to say that it’s unlikely we will see him pitch this season and his 2027 campaign will likely be impacted as well.

If I were to guess, this is where the story will end. I don’t think we will hear the outcome of any supposed investigation. All I will say is that I can’t remember a time that I was more disappointed in the organization, not the org itself but some individuals within. Of course, the COVID season releases were heartbreaking, but one can understand those moves to some extent. Having heard some names rumored to have been involved in this situation only makes it worse. Hernández has legitimate talent and I hope that he can find another opportunity stateside so that we can continue to watch him develop.

There is supposedly an MLB investigation involving alleged bullying in the Brewers organization last season in which Hernández was the victim, or one of the victims. The right-hander decided (or was advised) not to return to the U.S. and report for spring training at least until the investigation was completed. As of last week, Hernández was still in Nicaragua with no plans to return to Arizona. That is essentially all we know at this point.

If we see him this year, he will definitely require an extended ramp up at the Arizona complex. It’s possible that today’s move is a precursor to an assignment to the ACL if he’s preparing to return to the states, but I have not heard that is expected at this point. It’s also possible that he’s being moved to the restricted list for the time being.

Interesting that this came through today. Unfortunately, Hernández is not with the Warbirds at this time.

Episcope, Phillips, and Josh Timmerman all continue to progress from their respective elbow procedures, but each has dealt with some nagging things that have delayed their timelines. Timmerman is the closest to a return and will begin throwing live to hitters next Friday. He hopes to be sent out to an affiliate sometime in August. Episcope is about 2 or 3 weeks from facing hitters while Phillips is still about a month out. While these timelines, like Ramirez, are pushing the end of the season, there is a greater chance that we see them in the regular season since both are likely ready for Single-A (at least). For most pitchers returning from major injuries, teams would probably just be happy getting them prepared for a normal offseason which might be the case for Episcope. However, the organization knows how much Cole Phillips has been through and how eager he is to finally get on the mound in a game and so there is added incentive to get him back and have him throw a couple of times before season’s end as it would mean a great deal to him; a small victory given what he’s been through.

RHP Johandry Ramirez is in a similar boat to Flores. The right-hander is also working his way back from a muscle tear. He was slated to make his stateside debut in 2026, but, with a return to the mound scheduled for August, it is unlikely we will see him in regular season MiLB action this year.

RHP Jesus Flores has been out since late April with a grade 3 lat tear. His first rehab outing is scheduled for August 25. The belief is that it’s unlikely he will return to an affiliate before the end of the season, but the Arizona Fall League could theoretically be a possibility.

Unfortunately, I am limited on what I can share about guys on the 40-man typically, but I have heard that he should be back behind the plate soon.

My update from mid-May: ”Elbow inflammation for Meccage. It seems as though he avoided anything too serious, but he’s looking at a return to the mound in a month or two.” The right-hander has been back at the Arizona complex since that time.

From July 3rd game thread: ”Not only did this impressive lineup (still minus 1B Blake Burke, nursing a lower body injury with an exact nature and severity to be determined)” Burke is feeling good and expects to be back in the lineup soon, possibly even tomorrow (technically today at this point) or Tuesday.

Smith is about halfway through his mound progression as he continues to rehab from surgery. It’s still unknown when he will return to game action, but the towering lefty is holding out hope that he will make an appearance with an affiliate before the end of the season.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any improvement the past couple of weeks and so the organization opted to shut the southpaw down for now. At this point, it doesn’t appear that Martinez will return to the mound in 2026, but the belief is that he will not require surgery.