Rickie Weeks Activated From Disabled List

Fast-forward to September 8. Instead of sinking, the Brewers have established a huge division lead, and even better, Weeks is back:

Weeks will not start out of the chute, instead being limited to pinch-hitting duties for a short while. But he should be back to full strength at the plate and in the field before long, in plenty of time for the playoffs.

The Brewers didn’t reacquire Lopez to start -- and according to Tom Hadricourt, he’ll start at AAA Nashville for now -- so they might go with the patient ways of Craig Counsell after all, but at the very least, Lopez provides a little depth on the bench if they decide he’s worthy of a roster spot.

Well, it’s bad news and good news, I guess. The bad news is that Weeks could conceivably be out for a month and a half. The good news is that he shouldn’t be out any longer than that, and surgery easily could’ve ended his season. It doesn’t look like he’s dealing with any significant tears.

Said Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash:

Why is Weeks going on the disabled list? Because, as Haudricourt notes in another tweet:

Weeks doesn’t have any breaks, but the Brewers suspect that he may have sustained some tendon or ligament damage. That would only be revealed by an MRI, and not an x-ray. And that kind of damage can be a really big deal.

So, there’s no break. That’s terrific. Weeks is not yet out of the woods - he could have a pretty bad sprain or a tear of some sort, and he could still have to go on the disabled list - but this news eliminates a few of the really bad scenarios, and it’s still possible that Weeks returns to the lineup in just a matter of days.

Some animated footage:

Weeks was running out an infield single when he stepped on first base the wrong way. He tumbled to the ground in a heap and was unable to leave the field under his own power, as he couldn’t put weight on his left foot. That’s not necessarily disastrous but it’s a bad sign, and we’re awaiting word on his condition.