Brewers have made clear which outfielder will be sent down upon Sal Frelick's return from IL

Back on July 18, the Milwaukee Brewers placed outfielder Sal Frelick on the injured list with a right shoulder strain. He felt pain in his shoulder while executing a throw from right-field, which required him to exit the contest early. Now, currently four games into injury rehab assignment, Frelick is expected back with the Brewers in mid-August.

With Frelick injured, a door to more playing time opened for rising prospect Luis Lara, who signed a seven-year extension back in June and subsequently made his MLB debut on July 7. The switch-hitting Lara began sharing time in a corner outfield position with 2026 breakout Jake Bauers, who recently was asked to cover more games at first base as a result of Andrew Vaughn briefly switching over to third base due to injuries to Cooper Pratt and Joey Ortiz.

In the 24 games the Brewers have played since Frelick landed on the IL, Lara has received regular playing time, appearing in 22 of those contests and consistently being the preferred option over Brandon Lockridge, who was reinstated from the injured list on Aug. 1. During that stretch, Lara has showcased his defensive ability on multiple occasions, highlighted by his heroic effort in extra innings in Sunday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins that earned him MLB’s Play of the Week.

Since Lockridge’s return, Lara has appeared in 10 games, playing complete games in all but two of the contests and entering late as a lineup addition just twice. Lockridge, meanwhile, has played in six games but has yet to complete a full contest, often entering as a pinch runner, defensive replacement, or being pinch-hit for mid-game.

By all indications, Lockridge appears will be the odd man out once Frelick returns from the injured list. The 29-year-old has minor league options and is redundant on the Brewers' roster now that Lara serves as another right-handed hitting outfield option for Pat Murphy. However, questions still remain in regard to how Lara and Frelick will share playing time in the near future.

How will playing time shake out between Luis Lara and Sal Frelick when the latter returns from the injured list?

When looking at Frelick and Lara's numbers, neither has put together an eye-popping performance this year. Before the shoulder injury, Frelick owned just a .236 batting average and .631 OPS. Meanwhile, Lara is at .233 as well with a .658 OPS through his first 85 big-league plate appearances.

A platoon of Frelick against right-handers and Lara against left-handers makes some sense, but it doesn't give the Brewers their best offensive lineup. If Milwaukee wants a realistic shot at making a big postseason run and taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bauers will need to consistently figure into the right-field equation in October.

One scenario that could play out is having Bauers in right field against lefties -- he's maintaining an .841 OPS against southpaws this year -- so that Andrew Vaughn can play first base in those situations. That said, depending on who has the hotter bat between Vaughn and Lara or Frelick, there is also a case for keeping the former at first base on a more permanent basis, while using the latter two simply as defensive replacements or pinch hitters based on matchups.

As the playoff race heats up down the stretch, it's certainly possible that Brewers fans see Pat Murphy more consistently go to his best offensive lineup, which includes Bauers in right and Vaughn at first. Such a scenario leaves little playing time for Frelick and Lara, though both, with their elite defensive abilities and excellent speed, will still certainly factor into the equation.

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