Ryan Braun thumb injury: Surgery remains an option for Brewers outfielder

Former National League MVP Ryan Braun is suffering from the same thumb injury that limited him before he was suspended last season, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

Braun has been dealing with the pain, but has now begun to experience numbness throughout his hand.

The numbness has resulted in blisters and bruises from throwing a baseball without being able to tell how hard he's gripping it. Weird.

If Braun opts to have surgery on his hand to repair the nerve damage, he could miss significant time again this year. He has met with special Don Sheridan about his options, but did not disclose a timeframe for how long a procedure would keep him sidelined.

The Brewers could use Logan Schafer or Caleb Gindl to spell Braun if he spends time on the disabled list, but it goes without saying that the drop off in production would be overwhelming for Milwaukee as they attempt to navigate the NL Central.