The Milwaukee Brewers bullpen has been a strength this season. Their reliever corps took a significant hit on Friday.

Adam McCalvy from MLB.com reported that Brewers reliever Abner Uribe has been placed on the injured list with a right forearm flexor strain. 

McCalvy further noted that Uribe had an MRI on Friday and has been able to play catch. However, he is without a set timeline for his return.

Uribe has been a key part of the Brewers bullpen this season. He has posted a 2.05 ERA and a 1.034 WHIP over his 48.1 innings, striking out 48 batters with 18 walks. Uribe has been one of the preferred options for the ninth inning if closer Trevor Megill is unavailable.

Abner Uribe injury comes as Milwaukee Brewers battle for playoff berth, first-round bye

The Brewers bullpen, as a whole, has performed well. They had combined for a 3.51 ERA in their 469 innings entering Friday, ranking fourth in the majors. Uribe, Megill, Chad Patrick and Aaron Ashby have been a stellar quartet over the latter innings.

Although Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that Uribe's MRI came back clean, his injury is still a cause for concern. Forearm strains can be a precursor to significant injuries to the UCL. Given Uribe's high-octane fastball, there may be more of a reason for caution moving forward.

Uribe will take a couple of days off before beginning his throwing program once more. The Brewers may have dodged the worst-case scenario of losing Uribe for the rest of this year and the 2027 season.

Nonetheless, his absence comes at a difficult time for the Brewers. They currently have the best record in the National League, but are also only two games ahead of the Dodgers as the third seed. Being passed by both the Braves and Dodgers would cost the Brewers a first-round bye, which could torpedo their hopes of winning their first championship in franchise history.