The Milwaukee Brewers have gotten off to a flying start, going 16-9 through their first 25 games. But they recently received some bad news. First baseman Eric Thames will be out for 6-8 weeks with a thumb injury, so they’ll have to fill that void.
Thames was one of the stories of the 2017 season as he returned to the majors after playing in Venezuela and South Korea, and he hit .247 with 31 home runs and 63 RBIs. Thames had played in 22 games so far this season, hitting .250 with seven home runs and 13 RBIs, but he tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left thumb on Tuesday against Kansas City and will need surgery. The timeline for this injury is usually 6-8 weeks, and Thames isn’t the first player to have this injury in recent years. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, Washington’s Bryce Harper, Boston’s Dustin Pedroia and St. Louis’ Yadier Molina (who has torn this ligament twice) have all come back from it and done well.
Fantasy Impact
If you have Thames on your fantasy team, you might want to look into stashing him for a couple months. You may consider picking up teammate Jesus Aguilar, who replaced Thames on Tuesday night and again on Thursday. Aguilar is hitting .421 this season with a home run and seven RBIs in 20 games. He probably gets the first look at replacing Thames. Aguilar hit .265 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs last season. He is more than capable of holding it down at first base while Thames is gone. Also, the Brewers might give Ryan Braun a few games at first base. The 34-year-old left-fielder is hitting .263 this season with five home runs and 15 RBIs.
As for the Brewers’ World Series odds, they’re at +4500 to win it all at BeDSI. The Thames injury probably doesn’t affect them that much. He is a good player, not a great player, and the Brewers have enough to get by for the next two months. The main thing is that Thames gets completely healthy to return and help his team for the second part of the season.
