The Milwaukee Brewers had just finished one of the most successful road trips in their history, a 7-3 romp through the western regions of the big leagues, when the team returned home to bad news.

Garrett Mitchell, a rookie who had had a blistering first three weeks as the team's starting center fielder, suffered labrum damage on an aggressive slide into third base during extra innings in Seattle.

The severity of Mitchell's injury was announced Friday, and Mitchell spoke to the gathered media after manager Craig Counsell broke the news. After explaining that he was still processing the blow and declaring his intention to get back by the end of the season if at all possible, the almost impossibly upbeat Mitchell turned into a P.R. rep for the player replacing him, a 6-foot-4, blond-haired, toolsy rookie named Joey Wiemer.

"Joey is going to be fine," Mitchell said. "The organization, all of the fans, should be happy, excited for him. He's going to do a good job."

Wiemer, who has all of 24 big league games under his belt, started about 80% of his games in the minor leagues on the outfield corners, mostly in right, where he featured one of the strongest arms in professional baseball. Center field is another beast, of course, but during his 44 games in The Show, Mitchell has shown signs of becoming an elite defender at that crucial position, the one held down so well in recent seasons by now-retired Lorenzo Cain.

On April 22, the day after Mitchell's pep talk, the Brewers were clinging to a one-run lead against the Red Sox in the fifth inning. Boston's Alex Verdugo blistered a Wade Miley pitch 103.7 mph to dead center. Wiemer got a quick read on it, raced for the warning track and made a leaping, twisting, falling grab on a ball that might have left the park had he not caught it.

It happened again in the eighth: With Milwaukee still leading by a run, Verdugo launched a 103.2 mph drive, right at Wiemer, who took a few long strides toward the wall and leaped slightly to make the grab. This was another ball that would have clanged off the fence if Wiemer had not reacted so quickly, moved so well or, let's face it, if he were not so huge. He made it look easy.

"I'm very comfortable in center," Wiemer said, with the kind of nonchalance only a rookie can summon. "I just touch the grass and if the ball's in the air, go catch it. I just treat it all the same."