Lorenzo Cain Can’t Shake The Injury Bug & It’s Messing Up His Season

Lorenzo Cain Can’t Shake The Injury Bug & It’s Messing Up His Season

by | Jun 10, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT

For Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain, the 2021 season has not gone the way he has envisioned.

After opting out of most of the 2020 season, Cain was gearing up to make an impact this year. But injuries have caused the two-time All-Star to miss some time this season. 

And he’s not been a happy camper about it. 

Cain was recently put on the 10-day Injured List on June 1 after suffering a strained right hamstring during a game against the Detroit Tigers.

 

 

“I made the catch, felt the ‘hammy’ grab,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Once I went to go throw it to first (base), it kind of went a little more. I felt the pull a little more. That’s just where we’re at right now.”

“Very frustrated that it happened, especially when we were playing well, and I was actually starting to feel really well myself at the time. It’s unfortunate, but back to the drawing board.”

Cain will return no sooner than the start of July, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Manager Craig Counsell described Cain’s hamstring strain as “a significant injury.”

If you’re looking for a silver lining to a frustrating situation, with Cain out, MLBbro Jackie Bradley and 27-year-old rookie Tyrone Taylor will be tasked with filling in at center field. Bradley is trying to revive his bat and eventually assume a starting center field position somewhere. Taylor is playing in his first MLB season after a 10-year minor league journey, so he’s hungry and looking to prove he should stick around.

Before the injury, Cain was starting to turn things around at the plate. In his last two games before going on the IL, he had four hits in five at-bats.

He’s currently batting .223 through 31 games.

These nagging injuries date back to spring training. The 35-year-old went into the season dealing with an injury and in mid-April, he injured his right quadriceps and was placed on the IL for two and a half weeks. It seemed as if nothing was going right for him.

One part of Cain’s game that has contributed to his success is the use of his legs. In the field, he has the ability to run down fly balls.

In 2019, he won a Gold Glove Award in center field.

 

 

A healthy Cain is a player you want on your team. In addition to his leadership and World Series pedigree, he can smoke the ball too. 

In his first season with the Brewers, he made the All-Star team and finished the season with a .308 batting average, hitting 10 home runs and 38 RBI.

Before joining the Brewers in 2018, Cain spent most of his career with the Kansas City Royals. During his time there, he established himself as one of the top outfielders in the game. In 2015 he arguably had the best season statistically of his career. He finished that season batting .307, hitting 16 home runs with 72 RBI. Cain also made his first All-Star appearance that season, too. 

 

 

So you see a healthy Cain can be beneficial to the Brewers. Even though he’s in his mid-30s, he can still contribute on the field and at the plate.

For Cain, it’s all about getting healthy so he can return to the team in full strength.

“I know what I need to do to get back on the field. I’ve just got to go in there and get it done, allow this thing to heal up,” Cain said. “Hopefully it heals pretty quickly, but who knows with hamstrings? I’ve definitely had my fair share of them in the past. Just trying to get it healed as quickly as possible and I’ll be raring to go when it’s ready.”

Injuries are part of the game and this season Cain has just caught the short end of the stick. If he can return to 100 percent, he will be a valuable addition to a Brewers squad that’s fighting tooth and nail with the Cubs for sole possession of  first place in the NL Central.