Brewers Issue Frustrating Jackson Chourio Injury Update

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio was a trendy pick to take a major step forward this year. Instead, he's yet to appear in a game.

Chourio sustained a fractured hand this spring, stemming from a hit-by-pitch on March 4 that didn't result in him missing games until three weeks later. His placement on the injured list to start the regular season came with an estimated 2-4 week recovery timetable.

Two weeks later, the Brewers issued an update that probably wasn't what anyone outside the organization was hoping to hear, even if it means the best or Chourio in the long run.

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What manager Pat Murphy said about injury

According to Brewers skipper Pat Murphy, Chourio was not yet ready to start swinging a bat again as of Friday. Imaging showed improvement since the Brewers shut Chourio down, but the club is concerned about the force that the hand would absorb on check swings, which seemed to be the biggest issue at the end of the spring.

"It's healing. It's not quite ready, but better," Murphy said, per the Associated Press. "We're worried about the checked swing. When you face live things and do live things, we're worried about that. There's a fine line between being aggressive with it and conservative with it."

What's next for Chourio?

Clearly, the Brewers are doing their best not to rush the 22-year-old back, especially after he was allowed to compete for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic after the hand had already been injured. During a normal spring training, Chourio almost certainly would have been held out of games for a week or two to make sure he was at no further risk of injury.

The Brewers weren't committing to a timetable on Friday, instead declaring that Chourio hoped to be back "soon." Whether that means he could return to games in two weeks, or perhaps closer to four, remains to be seen.

The long-term view is that as long as Chourio is healthy for the remainder of the regular season once he returns, not much else matters to the club. But it's admittedly a tough start to a season that seemed like a crucial turning point for the youngster's star status.