Champing at the bit to get back on the field, Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames returns from injured list

Because of his bubbly personality and general zest for life, Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames can be a lot of fun to be around. Not so much in the days leading up to the series opener Monday night against St. Louis, however, according to manager Craig Counsell.

“He’s been annoying for a couple of days,” Counsell said.

“Annoying” in that Adames constantly begged to be activated from the injured list, where he was stashed Sept. 5 with a left quadriceps strain. He was dying to get back in the fray, and thought he had passed every test – in particular, running drills – several days before Monday.

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As expected, Adames was activated and inserted in the starting lineup, batting second. To open a roster spot for him, the Brewers optioned infielder/outfielder Tim Lopes to Class AAA Nashville. 

“This is the day we had scheduled,” Counsell said. “This has been the day, but he’s been ready to play for a little bit. You can tell. You can sense that.

“We've seen him on the bases for a couple of days. He's been going hard on the bases. His ground balls at short have had much more energy. With all these guys, we've been cautious. We've been very cautious so we're in a good spot. 

“I think we've tried to tell ourselves that we can be cautious so when you let them go out to play, you can let them go.”

Make no mistake about it. The Brewers were thrilled to get Adames back on the field, especially for a huge series with the Cardinals, who were red hot and taking control of the second wild-card berth in the NL.

Adames has been a difference-maker since being acquired May 21 in a trade with Tampa Bay, not only solidifying the shortstop position defensively but making a huge difference offensively. In 88 games with the Brewers, he was batting .294 with a .375 OBP, .905 OPS, 17 home runs, 25 doubles and 51 runs batted in.

“I’m so happy I’m healthy now and can go back out there and play,” Adames said. “We’ve been really hard to get back out there. I’m feeling really good right now, almost 100%.