Brewers' Smith suffers knee tear taking off shoe

The Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen suffered a big blow Saturday when Will Smith - one of the team's co-closers - was diagnosed with a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee that may require corrective surgery, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Even if Smith doesn't have surgery, though, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he will miss "significant time." Smith, who was expected to share closing duties with Jeremy Jeffress in 2016, was sent for an exam Friday amid swelling in his knee that surfaced after a freak accident following Thursday's outing in a minor-league game.

"I was standing on one leg, trying to take the shoe off and I pulled hard and it stayed on. My knee just went up and popped," said Smith. "It sucks."

After receiving his diagnosis, the 26-year-old arrived Saturday at the club's spring training complex on crutches (with his leg in an immobilizer) for a follow-up exam with team doctor William Raasch, who will determine if surgery is necessary.

"It's disappointing; it sucks," Smith said. "As a competitor you want to play. Sitting out is never fun. But it'll be all right. Everybody tells you there's nothing you can do about it but you still feel like you're letting people down."

One of the more promising left-handed relievers in the majors, Smith enjoyed the finest season of his four-year career in 2015, fashioning a 2.70 ERA with a 34.5 percent strikeout rate in 76 appearances. Since 2014, Smith has logged more appearances than any reliever in baseball except Tony Watson, managing a 3.21 ERA while limiting opponents to a .232 batting average over that span.

"Everybody has come up to me this morning to check on me," added Smith, who has shared a room with Jeffress this spring. "That's what I believe staying connected is. We're real people before we’re baseball players. That means a lot to me."