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Erceg day-to-day after taking pitch to helmet

Milwaukee's No. 4 prospect forced to leave game in eighth inning
Lucas Erceg has started 16 of 18 games at third base this season in the Southern League. (Brian McLeod/MiLB.com)
April 23, 2018

Lucas Erceg was hit by a pitch in the helmet Monday night and forced to leave Double-A Biloxi's 5-4 victory over Montgomery.Milwaukee's No. 4 prospect is day-to-day and will be reevaluated Tuesday, according to the team.

Lucas Erceg was hit by a pitch in the helmet Monday night and forced to leave Double-A Biloxi's 5-4 victory over Montgomery.
Milwaukee's No. 4 prospect is day-to-day and will be reevaluated Tuesday, according to the team.

Erceg was leading off the eighth in a 4-4 game when a pitch from left-handed reliever Matt Krook came up and in and caught the left-handed hitter in the helmet.
After the 22-year-old third baseman was hit, he seemed alert and spoke with Shuckers athletic trainer Kevin Creighton before getting to his feet. He left the field with Creighton and Biloxi manager Mike Guerrero and was replaced at first base by pinch runner Jake Hager.
Erceg reached Double-A for the first time this year after a breakout campaign in his first full season. The 2016 second-round pick batted .256/.307/.417 in 127 games for Class A Advanced Carolina and impressed in a brief September promotion to Triple-A Colorado Springs with a 4-for-10 showing over three games.
Gameday box score
His overall performance earned Erceg a second consecutive selection to MiLB.com's Brewers Organization All-Star team.
This season, the Menlo College product has started hot, batting .319/.385/.435 with a home run and five doubles for the Shuckers over 18 games. He's been Biloxi's three-hole hitter for all 17 games he's started, 16 at third base. Sunday afternoon, Erceg served as his club's designated hitter for the first time this year.
Hager scored the go-ahead run on a two-out RBI single to center by No. 14 Brewers prospect Jake Gatewood.

Tyler Maun is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @TylerMaun.