The Milwaukee Brewers optioned Blake Perkins to Triple-A and called up their No. 4 prospect, outfielder Luis Lara, on Tuesday.
Lara is MLB Pipeline's No. 67 prospect and signed a seven-year, $31 million extension with the Brewers in June. The Brewers have made it a trend to lock up top prospects before they debut to help work around payroll constraints. Cooper Pratt signed an eight-year, $50 million contract before making his debut this year as well. The Brewers signed Jackson Chourio to an extension as well before he ever played in a big league game.
The Brewers currently have the top prospect in baseball, Jesus Made, and he will also likely sign an extension at some point, but for now, the focus is on Lara. The only problem is that there is no real spot for him right now.
Not playing regularly could hurt his development, but with Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio all hitting well right now, it does not make sense to take any of them out of the lineup. Christian Yelich is the everyday designated hitter, and even though he's fighting it at the plate, the Brewers are not going to bench him. The Brewers could platoon him and Frelick.
Frelick got off to a slow start, but is hitting .310 in his last 22 games. He has been bad against southpaws, and the switch-hitting Lara could play against lefties. However, that creates a different problem. Andrew Vaughn has been great for the Brewers, but Jake Bauers has earned an everyday spot in the lineup. Vaughn starts when the Brewers place Bauers in the outfield, usually over Frelick. Using Lara instead of Frelick creates a problem at first base.
A unique route the Brewers could take is putting Vaugh or Frelick at third base to get Lara regular at-bats. Third baseman David Hamilton suffered a hamstring injury on Monday and could go on the injured list. Frelick worked out at third base before the 2024 season and even spent time working with Dustin Pedroia. Getting work at third base was a real possibility for him before outfield injuries forced him back into right field.
The Brewers will have to be smart with Lara. All three of their outfielders are deserving of everyday spots right now. All three play gold glove caliber defense, but so does Lara. He won the Minor League Gold Glove last year.