Baseball notes: Milwaukee Brewers hire Craig Counsell as manager

Craig Counsell, a 44-year-old Milwaukee native whose 16-year career as a major league infielder ended only four years ago, was named manager of the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, a day after the team fired Ron Roenicke.

Counsell, who hit .255 in the majors and spent his final five seasons with the Brewers, has no previous managing or coaching experience. He was given a contract through the 2017 season by Milwaukee, which began Monday with the majors’ worst record, 7-18. The Brewers lost 40 of their final 56 games under Roenicke, who oversaw a late-season collapse last summer, after the team led the NL Central for nearly five months.

Coach suspended

Toronto hitting coach Brook Jacoby was suspended 14 games by Major League Baseball for his conduct toward the umpires following a 4-1 loss at Boston on April 29. Baseball provided no details about the incident. Jacoby began his suspension Monday night, though the Blue Jays said they intend to appeal it.

Etc.

Josh Hamilton, traded by the Angels to Texas last week, played in extended spring training for the Rangers in Surprise, Ariz., striking out and hitting three grounders to first base in his first game of any kind since last October. He missed spring training and the first month of the season while rehabilitating a surgically repaired shoulder. He also admitted to having suffered a substance-abuse relapse. . . . Boston left fielder Hanley Ramirez left Monday’s game after suffering a sprained left shoulder when he ran into a side wall at Fenway Park while attempting to catch a ball hit by Tampa Bay’s James Loney. . . . Minnesota put left fielder Oswaldo Arcia on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained right hip flexor muscle.