Brewers: 3 Players Who Could See More Playing Time After Arcia Trade

Well the timing may not have been what almost any were expecting, but the Brewers made their first trade of the season on Tuesday. And it unfortunately resulted in a fan favorite leaving Milwaukee.

Fans were shocked when it was announced that shortstop Orlando Arcia was being traded to the Atlanta Braves for right-handed pitchers Chad Sobotka and Patrick Weigel. Both new Brewers head to the Alternate Training Site.

Though he may not have fully lived up to expectations as a former top prospect of the team, Arcia will be sorely missed by fans for his infectious personality and often dazzling up-the-middle defense. But with every departure comes new opportunity.

While the majority of the playing time at third and short, the two positions Arcia had appeared in so far in 2021, will go to Travis Shaw and Luis Urias, the now ex-Brewer had still appeared in all of Milwaukee’s first four games, so there will still now be playing time available for someone else in his stead.

Here are three Brewers players who should now get some extra playing time after the trade of Orlando Arcia.

1. INF Daniel Robertson

This one should have been fairly obvious. Daniel Robertson was one of the final players to make the roster this spring partially due to his ability to play multiple infield positions, and partially due to a relatively solid spring in which he hit .250 with a .772 OPS and a team-leading nine walks over 17 games.

Robertson has appeared in three games in 2021, but has just two at bats on the season. He should get a lot more of those now as the sole backup to Urias and Shaw, especially when you consider none of the other infielders on the 26-man (Kolten Wong, Keston Hiura, and Daniel Vogelbach) have played any career games to the left of the second base bag.

As a former first-round pick, Robertson hasn’t quite been able to live up to that billing in his now five years in the majors and is out of minor league options. Some increased playing time could give the Brewers a chance to see if they have any more than a bench utility player in him.

2. 3B Zach Green

Should Robertson get injured or not work out, the Brewers have a player down in the minors who could at least back up Shaw at third and provide some pop while doing so. That would be offseason acquisition Zach Green.

Back in December, Green was signed to a minor league contract by Milwaukee with an invite to spring training. He went just 5 for 27 this spring, but all of his hits went for extra bases as he tallied two doubles, a triple, and two homers.

Green has a career .800 OPS as a minor leaguer and had a combined 53 doubles and 55 homers in his most recent two minor league seasons. If he hits well to start the 2021 minor league season, the Brewers could decide to take a closer look at him in the majors later on this year.

3. UTIL Pablo Reyes

Another player who currently resides down in the team’s minor league system, Pablo Reyes is a bit more multi-functional than Green. Though a majority of his 89 major league appearances have been as an outfielder, he played every non-battery position except for first base back in 2019 with the Pirates.

Reyes was one of the hottest Brewers hitters at the beginning of the spring before cooling off a bit toward the end. Still, he finished Cactus League play hitting .250 with a .890 OPS with two doubles, two homers, and just six strikeouts in 32 at bats.

Like Green, Reyes would also have to be added to the 40-man roster should the Brewers decide to give him a spin. But he would provide more added utility for the team, so if he carries his success from the spring over into the minors, he could be worth an add later in 2021 as well.

It’s a long season and many players are will contribute for the Brewers over the course of 2021. With Arcia’s departure, there’s a good chance these three get factored into the team’s plans more than they might have prior to today.