St. Louis Cardinals reliever Justin Bruihl was forced to exit Monday’s home game with no outs in the seventh inning after spraining his right ankle.
Just moments later in that same half-inning, Milwaukee Brewers third baseman David Hamilton was also removed from the game, replaced by a pinch runner after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring following a two-run double.
Bruihl’s injury occurred when he sprinted toward the third base line to field a slow grounder hit by Garrett Mitchell of the Brewers. After throwing to first base on what was ruled an infield single, Bruihl appeared to be limping. Ryan Fernandez came in to take over pitching duties.
Bruihl had entered the game in relief of Dustin May with two outs in the fifth inning, with two potential tying runs on base. He retired Christian Yelich on a groundout to end that threat. Over 1 1/3 innings of work, he surrendered one run on a hit and a walk, bringing his ERA to 3.70 across 39 relief appearances this season.
The 29-year-old left-hander is pitching in his sixth major league season. He has previously suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2021 to 2023, the Colorado Rockies in 2023, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024, and the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025 before joining St. Louis.
Hamilton finished the game 2-for-4, leaving him with a .240 batting average, three home runs, and 15 RBIs through 74 games this season. The 28-year-old spent the previous three seasons with the Boston Red Sox and carries a career batting average of .227, a .293 on-base percentage, a .352 slugging percentage, 17 home runs, and 62 RBIs over 278 major league games.
