Keston Hiura did not have the start to 2021 that he wanted. Hiura seemed out of sorts and did not seem like the hitting specimen we all got to know. Something felt off. It was revealed in mid to late April that his mom is battling cancer. That affected Hiura like it would any of us. And Hiura having to go up to the plate and try to play a game while his mom battled something that’s harder than Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole combined likely felt frivolous to him. Milwaukee sent Hiura to Triple-A to reset but before he went to Nashville, Brewers’ Triple A spot, he visited with his mother for a few days in California. Hiura talked about it yesterday to the media.

Before Keston Hiura went to Triple-A Nashville, he went home to California for 4-5 days to clear his mind. Here’s why he was so thankful for that. pic.twitter.com/ohwwcWG9yZ

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) May 24, 2021

Mental health with athletes is a wildly popular subject. We’ve gone from years ago treating athletes like robots to understanding that they’re human beings just like you and me. But there are some teams that don’t put those words into action. The Brewers aren’t that team. They saw that Hiura was struggling at the plate because he wasn’t mentally there. And the time he got to spend with his mother before heading to Nashville seemed to really help him ease his mind. That is amazing Milwaukee let him do that in the middle of the season. Hiura seemed touched by the gesture.

Let’s hope that Hiura has a huge June. I don’t think there’s anyone I’m pulling for more on the Brewers’ offense.

Charlie.