Abner Uribe took another step back into game action in Grand Chute on the same day JoJo Romero did the same. Uribe threw a scoreless inning in the second, part of a rehab appearance for the Brewers reliever.
That outing matters because it puts Uribe back on the mound in a live setting, where results and health both count. He allowed a walk, struck out one batter and handled a comebacker cleanly, a brief line that still showed the rhythm a pitcher needs after time away.
Uribe said before the game that the goal was simple: perform well and leave feeling healthy. He also said he has been working hard every single day to rebuild his confidence, a line that fits the point of rehab better than any box score can. For a pitcher trying to reset his feel, one clean inning is the kind of proof that only comes in game conditions.
Romero also worked an inning and turned in a scoreless frame, with one strikeout, one walk and a double play behind him. The outing had the feel of Spring Training, Romero said, and he added that building familiarity with the group has helped as he gets back into baseball after mid-July appendix surgery and an early August move to the Brewers.
There is still a gap between a rehab inning and a major league return, and that is the part that keeps this from being a finished story. Uribe did not say he is ready to rejoin the Brewers, only that he wanted to come out healthy, which leaves the next roster move open. For now, the important part is that he got through the inning and stayed on the field, which is exactly what a rehab assignment is meant to test.
