Nick Mears joins lengthy contingent of Brewers relievers on injured list

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Right-hander Nick Mears has become the latest Milwaukee Brewers reliever to go on the injured list.

The Brewers announced before their Friday night game with the Pittsburgh Pirates that Mears had back tightness and was going on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Tuesday. The Brewers recalled right-hander Carlos Rodríguez from Triple-A Nashville.

The 28-year-old Mears joins All All-Star closer Trevor Megill (right flexor strain), left-hander DL Hall (right oblique) and right-handers Grant Anderson (right ankle) and Shelby Miller (right elbow) as Brewers relievers on the injured list.

“We're pretty decimated in the bullpen right now, and it's tough,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “But some of our guys are getting closer to coming back, so we're going to be OK.”

Miller went on the 60-day injured list Wednesday with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and said he’s facing the possibility of a second Tommy John surgery.

The Brewers are hopeful Megill could return by mid-September. Anderson is expected to throw an inning in a rehabilitation assignment Saturday. Hall could return in late September.

Milwaukee entered Friday’s action owning the best record in the major leagues and leading the NL Central by 5½ games over the Chicago Cubs.

Mears is 5-3 with a 3.42 earned run average in 59 appearances with 43 strikeouts over 52 2/3 innings.

Rodríguez, 23, is 1-0 with a 9.95 ERA in two games with Milwaukee. He has gone 3-4 with a 3.86 ERA and one save in 15 games with Nashville.

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