Ryan Braun Placed on Bereavement List

In the midst of the circus that surrounds the Biogenesis scandal, it is clear that Ryan Braun didn’t need any additional issues in his life. However, according to the Milwaukee Brewers’ official Twitter feed, he was placed on MLB’s bereavement list on Thursday with a reported “family medical issue”.

It is unknown at this point what the specifics of the family issue are, but placement on the list automatically excludes Braun from game action for a period of 3 days, and he could be sidelined for as many as 7 days on this list. Braun also recently returned from a stint on the disabled list due to a thumb injury, and the hits just keep on coming for the Brewers’ former MVP.

Braun hasn’t been quite as bad on the field as many would believe this season, as even in a “down” year, he has presented a .304/.380/.507 slash line with 9 home runs in 58 games. However, he isn’t running like he used to (just 4 stolen bases), and the .887 OPS would represent his lowest since the 2010 season.

Milwaukee has 4 games remaining before the All-Star break so it is plausible that Braun could return to action on Sunday after a minimum stay, but I frankly can’t see the upside in bringing him back quickly, and the Brewers may be wise to leave him on the shelf for the extra rest.

Between the Biogenesis investigation, injury issues, and now family trouble, it has been a whirlwind for Braun, and it would be foolish to think that it isn’t affecting him on the field. For Milwaukee, it’s been a lost season at 37-53 in the win-loss column, but they’ll certainly ned the best from Braun going forward. Stay tuned for more news on when the slugger will return to the field.