Milwaukee Brewers All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy had a setback in his pre-spring workouts as he aggravated a hamstring injury that had been lingering since late last season. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Lucroy will be sidelined four to six weeks with the ailment. Four weeks gives him most of Spring Training to get ready for the regular season. Six weeks gives him very little time to get ready. Both the Brewers and Lucroy think he will be back for Opening Day says McCalvy.
"Now that we know exactly what it is, if I properly rehab it and work hard, there's no reason why I won't be in there on Opening Day. There's no reason to panic" (Jonathon Lucroy).
McCalvy goes on to explain that the injury seemed to start around August, and Lucroy was able to play through the remainder of the 2014 regular season without incident. He seemed fine this offseason, but when he ramped up his training after the new year, it seemed to be bothersome.
The Brewers need a healthy Lucroy to compete in the N.L. Central. With the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals, reloaded Pittsburgh Pirates, and resurgent Chicago Cubs, the division projects to be tight. Lucroy was the breakout offensive star for the Brew Crew in 2014, batting .301 with a league-leading 53 doubles in an amazing 153 games (some at 1B and DH). He is expected to fill out an impressive top of the lineup for Milwaukee, featuring fellow All-Stars Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun, and Aramis Ramirez. In addition to making his first All-Star team, Lucroy finished fourth in the National League MVP voting, and his batting average was good for seventh in the league.