Carlos Gomez activated off 15-day DL

The Milwaukee Brewers activated star center fielder Carlos Gomez from the 15-day disabled list prior to Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs.

Gomez, who had been sidelined with a hamstring strain, batted leadoff in his first game since April 15. He said he was excited to face Cubs starter Jake Arrieta, who is 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four outings this season.

"I can't wait ... [to] have my debut again, against one of the best pitchers that we see," Gomez told MLB.com. "The statistics probably don't say so, but that guy, for me, is the best pitcher in the National League.

"I said early that he's going to be one of the top three pitchers in baseball. The way he pitches, I like it, so I'm excited because I'm not going to face a nobody. I'm going to face a really good pitcher, and I know it's going to be tough."

The Brewers went 3-12 without Gomez, a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner.

"For the last 15 days, I've been really frustrated," Gomez told reporters, according to MLB.com. "I couldn't do anything to help my team move forward.

"I think when I'm in the lineup, it's a little bit different. We're going to be a little bit better. The team has started to play better. We still lost some games, but it's not like before."

The Brewers enter Saturday afternoon's game in Chicago with a major league-worst 5-18 record. The 29-year-old Gomez should add some punch to a Milwaukee lineup that owns a .224 team batting average, the third-lowest in the majors.