The Brewers outrighted Black to their alternate training site Tuesday.
Black will remain with the organization after he wasn't claimed by any of baseball's other 29 teams upon being exposed to waivers. The hard-throwing righty reliever has shown some intriguing skills during his time in the Giants and Brewers organizations, but injuries have prevented him from establishing himself as a mainstay in the big leagues.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Back in action
Rotowire
Black (elbow) threw a scoreless inning of relief in Thursday's exhibition game.
Black missed nearly three weeks of action with his injury, but he returned to the mound Thursday and threw a clean frame. He has not allowed a run in three appearances this spring and remains in the mix for a spot in the Brewers' bullpen.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Expected to pitch Thursday
Rotowire
Black (elbow) appears on track to rejoin the Brewers' Cactus League pitching schedule Thursday against the Giants, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Since making his second spring appearance March 5, Black has been in recovery mode from right elbow inflammation. Black was able to face hitters in live batting practice Monday without any complications, so the injury appears to be mostly in the rearview mirror at this point. Because of the time he missed, however, Black may not have a strong case for winning a spot in the Brewers' Opening Day bullpen.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Set to throw live batting practice
Rotowire
Black (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Monday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The 30-year-old has been sidelined by right elbow inflammation since March 9, but he appears to be nearing a return to game action. Black has less than two weeks to ramp up before Opening Day, so he may need a strong showing Monday to have a chance of being ready for April 1.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Nearing return to mound
Rotowire
Black (elbow) is expected to resume throwing off a mound by the end of the week, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Black has apparently been cleared to resume a throwing program after he was shut down last week with right elbow inflammation. As a reliever, Black likely won't need extended time to fully ramp up, but the time he's already missed during the Cactus League slate may be a significant blow to his chances of cracking the Brewers' Opening Day bullpen.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Battling elbow inflammation
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Manager Craig Counsell said Black won't throw for the next few days while he recovers from elbow inflammation, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Counsell said that Black's elbow issue cropped up during his most recent Cactus League outing Friday, when his fastball dropped from 98.1 miles per hour from the beginning of his appearance to the 90-to-92 mph range by the end, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. The Brewers are hopeful a brief respite will be all Black needs to overcome the elbow issue, but the shutdown period could still jeopardize his availability for Opening Day.
Black (shoulder) was reinstated from the 45-day injured list Monday.
Black has been sidelined since suffering a shoulder injury at camp in July, but he'll be available to make his 2020 debut over the final two weeks of the regular season. The right-hander made 17 relief appearances with the Giants and Brewers last season, posting a 5.06 ERA and 18:9 K:BB over 16 innings.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Moves to 45-day IL
Rotowire
Black (shoulder) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Thursday.
Black has been sidelined all season with a strained right rotator cuff, and he won't be eligible to return until September following this move. The right-hander will likely fill a middle-relief role if he returns this season.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Set to throw next week
Rotowire
Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that he expects Black (shoulder) to head to the Brewers' alternate training site in Appleton next week to resume throwing, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Though Black was placed on the injured list Tuesday after being diagnosed with a strained right rotator cuff, Counsell said the reliever won't be in store for a "big shutdown." Black will likely be limited to playing catch off flat ground initially when he arrives at Appleton, but if his shoulder responds well to throwing, he could graduate to mound work soon after. Before the injury took him out of the mix for the Opening Day roster, Black was projected to work in middle relief for the Brewers.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Officially lands on injured list
Rotowire
Black (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
Black has been dealing with a shoulder issue over the past several days, and the issue was revealed as a strained right rotator cuff Tuesday. The right-hander will miss the start of the regular season as a result, and his timetable to return won't become clear until he's able to resume throwing. Black made 17 appearances in the majors last year, posting a 5.06 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 16 innings.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Likely headed to IL
Rotowire
Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook said Tuesday that Black (shoulder) will be sidelined for at least a few days, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The untimely bout with shoulder stiffness looks like it will cost Black a spot on the Brewers' 30-man Opening Day roster. Expect Milwaukee to move Black to the 10-day injured list within the next few days. A timeline for Black's return to action likely won't be established until he's cleared to resume throwing again.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Dealing with shoulder issue
Rotowire
Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that Black was removed from Sunday's intrasquad game after experiencing tightness in his throwing shoulder, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
While the Brewers have yet to determine the severity of Black's injury, Counsell acknowledged that the right-hander's status for Friday's season opener versus the Cubs is "in jeopardy, for sure." Black is vying for a bullpen gig on the 30-man roster Opening Day roster and is likely to see most of his work in the middle innings when healthy.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Exits intrasquad game early
Rotowire
Black was removed from Sunday's intrasquad matchup for an undisclosed reason, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Black was briefly examined by the training staff after throwing a fastball that was well below his normal velocity, and they decided to remove him from the game as a result. The nature and severity of the injury are unclear. Whether Black will miss any time as a result remains to be seen.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Overcomes back injury
Rotowire
Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook said Sunday that Black is in "top shape" for summer camp after missing time in spring training with a minor back injury, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Black only missed a few workouts before spring training was halted in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so it's no surprise that he's fully healthy following a nearly four-month layoff. With all teams carrying 30-man rosters into Opening Day in late July, Black should have be in good position to earn a spot in the Milwaukee bullpen after receiving a look from the big club late in the 2019 campaign.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Dealing with sore back
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Black is dealing with a sore back, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The injury is not believed to be serious, but it does leave Black's status uncertain just a couple weeks before Opening Day. He could still break camp with a spot on the active roster, but he has not appeared in a game since March 1 and will likely need to pitch in at least a couple exhibition games in order to do so.
Black struck out three batters over 1.1 scoreless innings in Monday's victory over the Marlins.
Black reported to Triple-A after being acquired by the Brewers at the trade deadline and was called up two weeks later. He was sent back down after making two appearances out of the bullpen, but since rejoining the big club Aug. 25 he has been stellar, allowing just one hit while posting a 6:2 K:BB in 6.2 innings. Black has mainly worked in middle relief since joining the Brewers, but he did pick up his first hold with his new club Monday, and he could see more work in key spots before the season comes to a close.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Returns to majors
Rotowire
Black was recalled from Triple-A San Antonio on Sunday.
Black rejoins the Brewers as Jeremy Jeffress (hip) makes his way to the injured list. Black has given up three runs on six hits with a 5:2 K:BB in 4.1 major-league innings this season.
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Brewers' Ray Black: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Black was optioned to Triple-A San Antonio on Sunday.
He gave up two earned runs in 1.1 innings during Saturday's marathon game against the Nationals, so the Brewers needed to summon some fresh arms from Triple-A. Black will rejoin the big-league bullpen when rosters expand in September.
