Knee Injury Delays Mauricio Dubon’s Debut

It was the cruelest of ways for a hitting streak to end.

Shortstop Mauricio Dubon had extended his hitting streak to 23 games at Triple-A Colorado Springs on May 5 in Oklahoma City. Everything was going his way. A few innings later, his season was over.

The 23-year-old Dubon was caught in a rundown after breaking too soon off first base and twisted his left knee trying to escape. He knew he had done something bad, but the severity of the injury wasn’t known until he traveled to Milwaukee to be examined and an MRI revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

“We didn’t know,” general manager David Stearns said. “There was the possibility of a ligament injury. Then the MRI showed it was a torn ACL that will require surgery.”

Just like that, a season that had so much promise came to an end for Dubon, a rising star in the system. The hitting streak boosted his batting line to .343/.348/.574 with four home runs in 27 games.

Dubon mostly played shortstop for the Sky Sox, starting 23 times. But he also made four starts at second base, a position he likely would play in the majors with Orlando Arcia manning short.

Two days later, the Brewers demoted struggling infielder Eric Sogard, a move that could have led to Dubon’s major league debut if not for the knee injury.

“I feel bad for Mauricio,” Stearns said. “He put a lot into the first six weeks of the season. He was making really big strides developmentally . . . doing a lot of things we asked him to do.

“He was showing us he could play either position up the middle and working himself into being an option here. Whenever that happens for a player who potentially could have made his major league debut this year, it’s disappointing for us. It’s very disappointing for him.

“Our aim is to get him ready to go by spring training next year.”

Dubon was part of the trade with the Red Sox at the 2016 Winter Meetings that brought third baseman Travis Shaw to Milwaukee and sent reliever Tyler Thornburg to Boston. The Red Sox drafted Dubon in the 26th round out of high school in 2013.

>> Righthander Thomas Jankins, a 13th-round pick in 2016 out of Quinnipiac, was off to a brilliant start at Double-A Biloxi, going 5-1, 3.63 through six starts.

>> Catcher Jacob Nottingham, who made his big league debut during a week-long stay with Milwaukee, was off to by far his best start offensively at Colorado Springs. Through 19 games, he hit .348/.416/.652 with four home runs and 15 RBIs.