Two more relievers went out of commission for the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, with Bennett Sousa (left shoulder nerve irritation) and Jake Cousins (right shoulder inflammation) landing on the 15-day injured list.
Cousins had already been sent down early in the week to Class AAA Nashville and wasn’t occupying a 26-man roster spot but hadn’t pitched yet in the minors, meaning the team had to rescind his option and put him on the Major League injured list. To take Sousa’s place, the team recalled right-hander Tyson Miller.
The slider specialist Cousins has struggled in his nine appearances with the big-league team this year, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits and 10 walks in 9 ⅓ innings. Cousins had a 2.70 ERA in 43-plus innings over the previous two seasons with Milwaukee.
The left-hander Sousa has only made two appearances for the Brewers this season, allowing four earned runs in 2⅔ frames.
“I think we need a couple more days (of rest) on Sousa; we’re hoping we can avoid anything serious there,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “With Cousins, we’re going to need to take a little bit of time off and hopefully it resolves itself and becomes minor, too. We probably need a couple more days on both of them to see if this is … a few days off where we can return to throwing or we need to step back here for a week or two weeks before we throw again.”
Sousa appeared June 7, so his IL stint is backdated to June 8. Cousins’ is backdated to June 4.
Jason Alexander to make rehab start
Right-hander Jason Alexander, who did yeoman’s work in making 11 starts for the Brewers last year but hasn’t pitched this year with a shoulder issue, was slated to make a start Friday night with the Arizona Complex League team. Counsell said it didn’t mean his return was imminent.
“That means you’re healthy (going on a rehab assignment), but there’s also significant buildup that needs to happen, too,” Counsell said.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers relievers Cousins, Sousa land on injured list