Here's how much time the Brewers expect shortstop Joey Ortiz to miss with hamstring injury

The Milwaukee Brewers will be without their everyday shortstop for the immediate future, but there isn’t any concern that the latest injury will linger into the postseason. 

The Brewers placed Joey Ortiz on the 10-day injured list Aug. 22 with a left hamstring strain, an injury that imaging revealed to be a low-grade strain. Manager Pat Murphy couldn’t provide an exact timetable prior to the start of a seven-game homestand but affirmed it isn’t expected to be a prolonged stay on the IL for Ortiz. 

“They’re thinking quicker than (Jackson) Chourio,” said Murphy. Chourio, who has been on the IL since August 1 with a hamstring strain, began a rehab assignment at Class AAA Nashville Aug. 22. 

Ortiz, who suffered the injury running to first base during the Brewers’ series finale against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Aug. 21, had turned the corner offensively. He was batting .343 with an .830 OPS in August after hitting just .209 with a .566 OPS up to that point this season while playing every day.

“I felt like I was finally kind of getting a groove going, especially offensively, that I was starting to swing the bat as I feel I can,” Ortiz said. “Things happen. It’s baseball. It’s going to happen. I’ve just got to do what I can to get back.”

Andruw Monasterio – and not Brice Turang – will get the lion’s share on playing time at shortstop in Ortiz’s absence, with Murphy preferring to keep Turang at his regular position rather than ping-pong him back and forth late in the season.

“You can’t just take a kid that hasn’t played shortstop since spring training and just say, ‘Oh, you’re going to play there like 11 days,’” Murphy said. “‘Now you’re going to go back. There’s a whole different training involved, the different types of balls, timing, footwork. It’s a whole different position, especially if you want to excel, which Brice does. If Joey’s injury was long-term we would consider putting Brice there.” 

Turang can still fill in at shortstop in a pinch, as could Caleb Durbin. Murphy prefers not to use Anthony Seigler at short, while it’s also possible Isaac Collins could be utilized in the infield in a late-game spot.

Jake Bauers was activated from the injured list, where he had been with a left shoulder impingement since July 19. Bauers will operate primarily as a reserve, occasionally spelling Andrew Vaughn at first base.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's how much time the Brewers expect shortstop Joey Ortiz to miss