Brewers News: Lorenzo Cain Opts Out Of 2020 Season

As the Brewers weekend series against the Cardinals has been getting postponed due to Covid-19 positive cases, the Brewers lose a star player in Lorenzo Cain.

Lorenzo Cain has opted out of the 2020 season. The Brewers star centerfielder will no longer play this year and instead spend the next few months at home with his wife and three kids.

This isn’t an easy decision for any player, but the recent positive tests from the Cardinals who are in Milwaukee at the moment has led to Cain deciding that the risk is too much to take.

First and foremost, we support Cain’s decision to opt out and there should not be anyone who criticizes him for this.

What Does Lorenzo Cain’s Opt Out Mean For The Brewers?

This is a big loss for the Crew. Cain was the starting center fielder and regular leadoff man in the lineup, who seemed to be well on his way towards having a bounceback 2020 season. The kind of defense he brings to centerfield is second to none.

Cain’s opt out will mean that we are going to see Ben Gamel in the starting lineup pretty much every single day now.

Luckily, Ben Gamel has been on fire at the plate all summer and the offensive drop-off should be minimal, if there’s any at all. Gamel is also a capable center fielder, although he’s not at the defensive level that Cain is, he’ll do a solid job.

This also means that there is an extra active roster spot now available, which will most likely go to an outfielder. The two most likely candidates for the immediate call up are Tyrone Taylor and Corey Ray, both of whom are on the 40 man roster and are practicing at the alternate training site in Appleton.

Both Taylor and Ray are capable of playing center field, and both were going to be in Triple-A this year anyways, making either one a solid choice. Taylor has big league experience, while Ray does not, but Ray was a first round pick out of college a few years ago and perhaps the Brewers want to see what they have in him at the big league level.

Regardless, the Brewers just got weaker as a team now that Cain has opted out. He felt it was the right decision for him and his family, and it’s important that there is 100% support behind him.

The Brewers season is most likely to resume on Monday, after the Cardinals leave town without playing a game here. Such is life in 2020.