Next Steps for Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have been missing Sal Frelick for over one month at this point.

Frelick has been dealing with a shoulder issue for a bit. When he first landed on the Injured List, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that he didn't think Frelick would be back "anytime soon."

When Frelick went down, he looked for a second opinion and acknowledged at the time it wasn't "anything major" and that it was "some stuff in the labrum, some rotator cuff irritation."

He has been working his way back and he kicked off a minor league rehab assignment on Aug. 8. He has played in eight games with Triple-A Nashville and is slashing .259/.412/.556 with a .967 OPS, two home runs, five RBIs, five walks, and two doubles. Soon enough, we will see him back in the majors. Minor league rehab assignments carry a 20-Day maximum for position players. That deadline is just over one week away.

It's been up in the air throughout the week when he will return. On Wednesday, Brewers manager Pat Murphy shed some light on the club's thinking on Frelick right now, as transcribed by MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

Sal Frelick Will Be Back Soon

Jul 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I don’t think we’ll ever know,” Murphy said when asked if he thought Frelick's shoulder issue impacted him early on this season. “Knowing Sal the way we all know Sal, he was not going to speak up about it. I think he’s been injured all year. I’m just hopeful he can play through this and not have to have a more serious approach to it. He’s got to know himself and not be his own worst enemy, and that he ends up damaging himself for the future because he’ll play through it. We know him.

“So, that’s why we sent him back. We could have kept him and activated him [Tuesday]. He was ready to go. But we sent him back in order to ensure that he knew what we wanted: Two straight days playing and your arm feels good. We told him, ‘This is your career at stake.’”

It sounds like Frelick is very close to returning. Again, he's already played in eight games down in the minors on his rehab stint. Plus, Murphy said himself that Frelick was ready to go. But the Brewers are clearly trying to protect him at this moment. The last day Frelick can be on the rehab assignment is Aug. 27. That would be day No. 20 after beginning the stint on Aug. 8, meaning a decision would have to be made by Aug. 28.

This is a guy who will put it all on the line for Milwaukee. He's shown that in his young career to this point. His time is coming. It's important that when he returns, he's as close to 100 percent as possible so he can stick around. He's going to help this club down the stretch soon enough. It's just a matter of time.

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