Brewers debuted outfield alignment on Saturday that should be used more frequently

Prior to Saturday evening's game against the Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers had played 54 games in 2026, and in 51 of those games, Sal Frelick started in right field. The 26-year-old Gold Glove-winning outfielder certainly earned an everyday role on the Brewers' 2026 squad after an impressive breakout 2025 campaign.

Frelick posted an excellent .288/.351/.405 slash line with 12 homers and 3.6 fWAR in 2025, making him a key piece of the Brewers' historic season. However, 2026 has been a different story for the Brewers' 2021 first-round pick. This season, Frelick is slashing just .218 /.288/.300 with -0.4 fWAR through the first two months of the season. Despite his plate discipline being at an all-time best, Frelick's inability to drive the baseball, paired with an uncharacteristically low batting average on balls in play (BABIP), has combined to put the young outfielder in a frustrating slump through the one-third mark of the 2026 campaign.

While the Brewers and their fanbase alike are certainly hoping that Frelick can right the course in a hurry, the team has a solution to their right field woes in the meantime. On Saturday night, fans got a taste of what Milwaukee's outfield group should look like as Frelick works through his early-season struggles.

Jake Bauers should see more time in right field as Sal Frelick works through early-season slump

In game two of the Brewers' three-game set in Houston against the struggling Astros, Pat Murphy turned to an outfield of Jackson Chourio in left, Garrett Mitchell in center, and Jake Bauers in right. It was the first time that Milwaukee had turned to that exact trio this season. However, as the roster currently stands, it's certainly the Brewers' best lineup in the outfield.

Chourio will start nearly every game, most of which will come in left field, though the budding superstar will see the occasional start in center and even right. Mitchell, despite having one of the most perplexing profiles in the sport, in which he strikes out more than any qualified hitter, but remains a positive WAR player due to his power and defensive abilities, should continue to see everyday opportunities in center field for the time being. The decision, therefore, comes down to who should be the Brewers' everyday right fielder. At the current moment, Bauers is the clear choice.

Through the first two months of the season, Bauers is boasting a .281/.353/.480 slash line, good for an .833 OPS that is second only to Brice Turang in regard to qualified hitters on the Brewers' roster. Bauers leads the Brewers with eight homers and his .480 slugging percentage is also the best among Milwaukee's qualified position players. There's no question that Bauers' offensive value currently outweighs Frelick's, and the former's .733 OPS against southpaws indicates that he could play everyday regardless of the opposing starter.

The biggest question when it comes to giving more playing time in right field to Bauers over Frelick is how it impacts the Brewers' defensive unit, which is something they certainly take pride in. However, while Frelick has previously been an elite defender in right field, with a Gold Glove to prove it, his metrics have taken a step back in 2026. Frelick is exactly league-average when it comes to Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. Meanwhile, Bauers also has 0 DRS and 0 OAA in the outfield this year, albeit in a much smaller sample size, and threw a runner out at the plate last night (though replay review said otherwise).

The improvement on the offensive side of the ball by switching to Bauers in right field for the foreseeable future should outweigh any anticipated decline on the defensive side of the ball. Additionally, giving Bauers more time in right field allows Murphy to continue giving everyday opportunities to Andrew Vaughn at first base. Vaughn holds a .906 OPS through his first 19 games of the season, and despite having just one homer to his name thus far, he's consistently getting on base.

The Brewers are by no means "giving up" on Frelick, who seems to fit Milwaukee's style of play better than most any other player in the league, but as he works through his early-season slump, Murphy should not hesitate to roll out an outfield of Chourio, Mitchell, and Bauers.

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