Brewers notes: Ryan Braun to make spring training debut Friday

Ryan Braun has said he doesn't need much game action in spring training. After sitting out the entire exhibition season to date, Braun will finally make his debut Friday when the Milwaukee Brewers host the Chicago White Sox in a split-squad game.

Last year in spring training, Braun appeared in just seven games, going 7 for 16 with a double, two home runs and two walks.

"He's ready to go," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "I'm confident we've given him enough time, more than enough time really."

Braun will start and play left field.



Gennett back soon: Scooter Gennett hasn't played since last Saturday after bruising his wrist. Counsell said Gennett hit on Thursday and that "all signs are pointing in the right direction." Gennett is expected to return to the lineup either Sunday or Monday.

The one-time second baseman has been playing third base and left field in spring training. In four games, he is 5 for 9 with two doubles and two walks.

Impressive youngsters: The Brewers have a lot of prospects in camp and a number of them are making quite the good impression. Included in those are outfielders Lewis Brinson and Ryan Cordell, both of whom came over from Texas in the Jonathan Lucroy/Jeremy Jeffress trade.

Brinson is 5 for 18 this spring with a home run while Cordell is 6 for 15 with a triple and homer. However, Counsell cautions on getting overly excited for those who want to put them on Milwaukee's 25-man roster.

"At this point what needs to happen is that those guys need to play more," Counsell said, "they need to get better with experience facing Triple-A pitching. They have very limited experience at Triple-A, so let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here in where they're at. There's still some development that needs to happen."

Counsell has also taken note of the play of youngsters Mauricio Dubon and Lucas Erceg, both of whom, along with Brinson, are in Milwaukee's starting lineup Thursday.

"I'm glad we have players we want to start in these games, but I think both of these guys have some pedigree to them, so to speak," Counsell said. "You want to have guys that you think can come over and have success in these games and you don't want to expose them to something they're not necessarily ready for. It's not an issue with these guys for sure."

Erceg created some buzz with by hitting two home runs Monday against Cleveland in Goodyear, with one of his shots going deep over the right-field fence and off the roof of a building beyond.

"That's not normal, that doesn't happen a lot," Counsell noted. "I don't care what spring training you're in, I don't care what camp you are in, I don't care how many years you've seen this, that doesn't  happen."

Dubon, a middle infielder, came over from Boston in the offseason as part of the Tyler Thornburg trade. Erceg, a third baseman who was Milwaukee's second-round pick last year, batted .327 with a .518 slugging percentage in 2016 while playing a combined 68 games for Single-A Wisconsin and Helena.