Milwaukee Brewers: Jorge Lopez back up, Nate Orf unfreed

The Milwaukee Brewers roster shuffle continued on Saturday with right-hander Jorge Lopez called up, and middle infielder Nate Orf sent back down. Is there a long term plan, or is this a short term strategy for the Brewers?

Nate Orf enjoyed a lot of ‘firsts’ in his short time with the Milwaukee Brewers. Orf had his first Major League at-bat. He hit his first Major League homer. He stole a base in a Major League game for the first time, and he also got sent back down for the first time. Why is Jorge Lopez back with the Brewers, and when will we see Orf again?

Why is Lopez back with the team?

The Milwaukee Brewers have a rare combination of a rash of injuries and a lack of off days. The Brewers last off day was on June 25th. They won’t have any days off until the All Star Break. They also have to do this with four starters and a reliever on the DL. That’s why it seems like there’s a shuttle between Colorado Springs and Milwaukee.

Lopez has a 4.18 ERA in 20 relief appearances in Triple-A. He also owns a 3.65 ERA in seven games with the Milwaukee Brewers. He’s up to gobble up a few relief innings in case a game gets away from the Brewers, or they rack up a ton of runs.

When will Orf return to the Brewers?

He’ll probably get a call this September at some point, or return if there’s an injury. He didn’t look overmatched at the plate or in the field. If we lived in a fair universe, Orf would have a spot on a Major League roster.

How long will the Brewers continue with the fluid roster?

It certainly sounds like the Milwaukee Brewers will continue to manage the roster until the All-Star break. Having five pitchers out during a stretch of 22 games in 21 days is a situation they’ll have to manage.

Fans shouldn’t get too attached to any of the players on the fringes of the Brewers roster. They’ll probably go from the Major League roster to the farm and back again before the team gets four days off in mid-July.

Next: Can Keon Broxton stick on the Major League roster?

It was great to see Orf finally get the call, but he’s also a victim of bad timing. If the Milwaukee Brewers were completely healthy, the rustle shuffle wouldn’t be as bad. They would still need to make moves during this stretch of games to keep the bullpen from burning out, but Orf might’ve gotten a longer look if they didn’t need his roster spot.