Jesse Winker of the Milwaukee Brewers rehabbing against Cedar Rapids Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS — It was a subtle thing you might not have noticed.

Jesse Winker lined a single to right field in the top of the third inning of Wisconsin’s game Tuesday night against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Veterans Memorial Stadium and then coyly asked for the baseball.

Keep in mind, this is a guy who played in the Midwest League for the Dayton Dragons way back in 2013. A guy who has over 500 hits in the major leagues and who was a starting outfielder for the National League in the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Quite the humorous moment if you caught it.

“They wrote ‘First T-Rats hit. 8-15-23’ on it. It was cool, man,” Winker said late Friday afternoon, before Wisconsin and Cedar Rapids played again. “These guys are great. I’m thankful for all the coaches here. I’m learning a ton. This is a rehab assignment, but I feel like I’m a part of this team. I’m learning, and that’s the beauty of this sport.

“You have some success in this game, and you think, OK, and then you don’t. Then you have to reinvent yourself.”

As Winker mentioned, he’s on an injury rehabilitation stint (bad back) in high-A that will run through Saturday night’s game. Then he’s on to play a week for Triple-A Nashville before returning to the Milwaukee Brewers.

He’ll return as a first baseman, a position he has never played.

“Wearing a cup,” he joked, when asked the biggest adjustment to being an infielder. “But on a serious note, the whole position itself is an adjustment. You’re closer to the hitter. These Cedar Rapids hitters, they hit the ball really hard, are really talented. So I’m really close to the hitters. But I feel really comfortable at the position.

“I joked about it the other day, I think I’ve been playing the wrong position my whole life. When I play left field, I feel so much anxiety to be perfect. At first base, it’s such a reaction position. Obviously the footwork around the bag is key. It’s just learning those minor details now. The pregame work and stuff, I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s fun.”

The past couple of seasons have not been fun for the 30-year-old Winker. The 49th-overall pick of the 2012 draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of a Florida high school, he eventually made his way to the bigs, putting together an awesome 2021 season that saw him post a .305 batting average, .950 OPS, 32 doubles, 24 homers and 71 RBIs in 110 games.

But the Reds stunningly traded him that offseason to the Seattle Mariners, for whom he hit just .219 with a .688 OPS in 136 games. Seattle dealt him this past offseason to Milwaukee, which was looking for him to return to form as one of the more feared left-handed hitters around.

But Winker has continued to struggle, hitting .199 with just one home run and 23 RBIs in 61 games.

“I would advise people never to stop learning in the game and, honestly, in life,” Winker said. “You can never stop learning, because when you think you’ve got some (stuff) figured out, it’s going to prove to you that you don’t. I think I was guilty of that, and I think I started chasing some things in this game that I shouldn’t have chased. And you learn that, you learn that by going through it. I’m happy I am going through it, I’m happy I’m learning, and I’m happy I’m a first baseman.”

Winker said he feels reinvigorated overall by the defensive switch.

“This game punches you in the mouth, and it’s your job to counter that and figure some things out and progress your career,” said Winker, who visited the Field of Dreams near Dyersville with his father this week, who is visiting from Florida. “I feel like I’m reinventing myself with this whole first-base thing. It’s been very refreshing for me, and I’m super excited about it. And I believe that I can play it. It’s going to be fun.”

The Kernels took a MWL-best 68-43 overall record into Friday night’s game. They were 28-17 in the second half, which is the top record in the Western Division.

Cedar Rapids already has qualified for the Midwest League playoffs via a first-half division championship. These teams play again Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

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