Pat Murphy says 'I feel great' a day after undergoing back surgery

Pat Murphy won’t be in his usual spot in the home dugout when his Milwaukee Brewers open a big three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field on Friday night, June 26.

But he’ll still be calling the shots as manager despite having a 2 ½-hour back surgery the day before in Appleton.

“I feel great,” Murphy told reporters on Friday afternoon.

Murphy had been in considerable pain in recent weeks while dealing with separate back and hip issues. He had been scheduled to undergo a hip replacement over the all-star break, but that procedure has now been postponed until the end of the season.

“Went in there and fixed it,” Murphy said of his back. “I had a ruptured disc. Maybe more than one, and they just cleaned it out. I don’t know what the procedure is called. They do something, drill a hole and do something else. I didn’t ask.

“You get your car done, you don’t ask specific. What are you going to do when they explain exactly what they do? What are you going to say, ‘Do a little less of that’?”

Murphy admitted the medical advice he received was to take several days off in the wake of the procedure. But that conversation was – shocker! – a non-starter with the skipper.

“The whole reason to do it on the off day is because there’s a possibility you could manage the next day,” he said. “That’s what I love doing. That’s the rhythm that we’ve had, so you want to show the guys – I’m not trying to be Superman. It’s not about me, but this is the rhythm we have, and let’s keep that rhythm.

“Take it easy for a couple days and I’ll be back in a more normal way. I’m still not going to be doing anything different than I had been doing. (Chris) Hook will make all the pitching changes, but we’re all still taking on our same roles.”

Normally, Murphy stands at the base of the dugout stairs wherever he’s managing, home or road. But for at least the next few games he’ll be managing from a safer distance to ensure he’s not put in harm’s way.

“Not supposed to take a hit because the next one’s back fusion,” said Murphy. “You don’t want to take a hit. I don’t know what kind of hit I can take, but if the blue-haired kid (Pete Crow-Armstrong) gets pissed at us or something…

“I’ll be close.”

Count Murphy’s players among those completely unsurprised about his insistence on being available for his team – epecially with the second-place Cubs in town.

“He’s not going to say anything,” said left-hander Jared Koenig, who was reinstated from the injured list prior to the game. “He’s stubborn, and he’s got that football mentality, 100%.

“I went and talked to him and asked him and he was like, ‘Oh, I’m fine. Don’t worry.’

“Yeah, I figured.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pat Murphy says ‘I feel great’ a day after undergoing back surgery