Brewers: Corey Ray Makes MLB Debut And Looks To Make An Impact

Corey Ray, the fifth overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft, made his MLB debut in his home town against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon. In what would end up being a thrilling 4-3 Brewers win, Ray’s first at-bat was a six pitch walk.

The decision to activate Ray was announced very close to game time after it was made known that Josh Lindblom was being sent to the injured list. Thankfully this did not stop Ray’s father from making it to the game in time to watch his son’s debut.

At this time you may find yourself wondering who is Corey Ray and what can he bring to this already versatile Brewers outfield?

It has been a long road to the majors for Ray, who was originally drafted during a time frame when Stearns acquired a plethora of outfield prospects.  The long road has included many ups and downs but his power and speed gives him a very good chance to make an impact this season.

As the Brewers 2018 minor league player of the year with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, he slugged 27 homers and swiped 37 bases. In 2019 he struggled with injuries that hampered him from performing to the high expectations that come with being a first round draft pick. He then spent all of 2020 at the alternate training site since there was no minor league baseball season.

He now finds himself on a ballclub that has Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich currently on the injured list. This means Ray will be competing for playing time with Billy McKinney and Tyrone Taylor. McKinney has been making the most of his opportunities as of late and Taylor drastically changed his physique in the offseason.

Even though Avisail Garcia and Jackie Bradley Jr are still in the outfield mix, manager Craig Counsell is great at giving players plenty of opportunities to play. As a left handed hitter, hopefully Ray can take advantage of American Family Field in the teams upcoming homestand.

Regardless of what happens, Ray is another outfielder to add to the Brewers already impressive depth at the position.  Given his physical gifts, he should be a fun player to watch in the teams upcoming games.

The Brewers are plowing through most of their position player depth with a rash of injuries right now, and Ray is the final one to make it up to the big leagues.