With Cesar Izturis Gone to Washington, Brewers Recall Jean Segura

The Brewers called up Jean Segura, the prized piece of the Zack Greinke deal from the Angels after shortstop Cesar Izturis and his .248 OBP were claimed on waivers by the Washington Nationals.

Segura’s bat was obviously far too strong for AA pitching, where he .433 in 37 plate appearances in 8 games with Huntsville; not only that, but he was already a reserve for the Angels in the weeks prior to the trade. Overall in AA ball this year, the 22-year-old batted .304/.358/.413 in the Texas League and Southern League.

With little reason left to watch the remainder of the 2012 season, seeing Cody Ransom at shortstop everyday wouldn’t help. Segura’s bat is big league-ready and he is batting eighth and playing shortstop in Monday’s lineup. The only part of Izturis’ game that is better than Segura’s is his defense–he’s only played in 136 games professionally at the 6 position.

As Jaymes Langrehr noted on Disciples of Uecker, it will do no good to only give him an occasional start. There’s no way Ransom playing six or seven out of ten games will help the club now or in the future. We’ve seen Taylor Green and Mat Gamel fail to fulfill their potential yet because of inconsistent playing time. And the Brewers shouldn’t toy around with their newly acquired top prospect; not to say Segura is of the level of either player, but look at the success of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper after they received everyday roles. The Brewers obviously feel that now is the time to see what Jean Segura’s got, so why only “see what Jean Segura’s got” two or three times a week?