Former Red Sox reliever breaks left hand punching dugout wall following poor outing
Former Red Sox reliever and current Cubs hurler Colten Brewer was placed on the 60-day injured list on Sunday due to a broken left hand. He sustained the injury after he punched the dugout wall in frustration over his poor outing.
With the Cubs trailing the Angels 2-0 in the third inning, the Cubs summoned Brewer from the bullpen to replace Kyle Hendricks. The right-hander got two outs before being lifted from the game and was charged with three runs (one earned) on two hits, two walks, and hitting a batter.
"My intention wasn't to break my hand," Brewer told reporters Sunday. "I'll get frustrated and make mistakes. That's no excuse. There's a lot I can prove out there—that I'm willing not to do stuff like that. Emotions get the best of us sometimes."
Brewer has struggled this season over 16 relief appearances, posting a 5.66 ERA and having one save with 22 strikeouts to nine walks.
The righty felt remorse for his actions and told reporters he let down his family, friends, teammates, and Cubs fans.
“It’s kind of heartbreaking to me right now,” Brewer said. “There’s no pain in it right now; I just can’t believe something like that happened.”
Cubs skipper Craig Counsell didn’t have to say much to Brewer about his actions Saturday.
“When those things happen, you know you screwed up,” Counsell said. “That was the conversation. Then there’s consequences for the mistakes you make. It’s an unfortunate mistake, and he let emotions get the best of him. It’s not who he is, but it’s a mistake that he made.
“You have to move forward past that.”
Brewer is a veteran of six big league seasons, including three years with the Red Sox. He pitched for Boston from 2019 to 2021 posting a 4.98 ERA with 78 strikeouts to 51 walks. Following the 2021 season, Brewer became a free agent and signed with the Royals on a minors pact.
