MLB notebook: All-Star closer Knebel (hamstring) hits DL
The Milwaukee Brewers have placed All-Star closer Corey Knebel on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Knebel, 26, is expected to miss four to six weeks as a result of the injury. Right-hander Adrian Houser was recalled from Double-A Biloxi in a corresponding move.
Knebel suffered the injury on a pitch he threw in Milwaukee's 8-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. He collapsed to the mound shortly after the pitch, favoring his left thigh. The right-hander was able to put small amounts of weight on his left side as he was helped off the field. He underwent an MRI on Friday and was happy with the results despite having to miss at least a month.
"It's not as serious as anybody thought," Knebel told reporters. "It really worried me yesterday, but today I woke up and felt a lot better."
--After missing the first six games of the season, outfielder Michael Brantley was activated for the Cleveland Indians' home opener against the Kansas City Royals.
Brantley, who was on the disabled list as he continued recovering from offseason ankle surgery, batted fifth against the Royals and went 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
The 30-year-old missed most of 2016 with an injury, but bounced back last season with nine home runs, 52 RBIs and a .299 average in 90 games before being derailed by the ankle injury.
--Boston Red Sox top infield prospect Michael Chavis has been suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, Major League Baseball announced.
The suspension of Chavis, who is currently on the roster of the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, is effective immediately.
Chavis, 22, was Boston's first-round pick in the 2014 draft. The third baseman enjoyed a breakout season in the minors last year, hitting .282 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs while playing the majority of his games at the Double-A level. He was sidelined this spring by an oblique injury.
--The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants had their game called several hours ahead of its scheduled 7:15 p.m. PT start due to rain.
It's just the sixth rainout in AT&T Park history and the first in a dozen years, according to SFGate.com.
The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on April 28.
--Field Level Media
