Brewers place Eric Thames on DL with torn UCL in thumb

The Brewers have put slugging first baseman Eric Thames on the 10-day disabled list with a torn UCL in his left thumb, the club announced.

Thames’ injury could lead him to missing six to eight weeks, which Adam McCalvy of MLB.com said was the extent of time that players such as Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Mike Trout of the Angels were sidelined for because of this injury. McCalvy says Thames will have additional tests done in Milwaukee before he and the club “make a decision bout surgery as soon as Thursday evening.”

The injury, which Thames sustained while diving for a ball in the Brewers’ 5-2 win over the Royals on Tuesday, is a tough blow to him and the Brewers.

Thames is coming off a 2017 season in which he smacked 31 home runs with 63 RBI in 138 games. Before that season, Thames had spent the previous three years playing in South Korea and in Venezuela. He batted .348 and averaged 41 homers and 126 RBI in this time overseas. His best season was in 2015 when he smacked 47 homers, drove in 140 runs and hit .381 for South Korea’s NC Dinos.

This year, Thames is leading the Brewers with seven homers while slashing .250/.351/.625 in 22 games. However, Thames has been battling nagging injuries/health issues since coming back to the majors. He has had a tight hamstring, a foot injury, strep throat and a mild groin strain, but this is his first injury that could lead to significant loss of playing time.

With Thames out of the lineup, the Brewers are going to look to Jesus Aguilar to play regularly at first base, with Ryan Braun as the backup. Aguilar has been a hot bat for the Brewers lately, batting .429/.487/.629 in 39 plate appearances across 19 games.