Brewers' infield depth to be tested as starting third baseman lands on 10-day IL

Tuesday morning brought a series of roster moves for the Milwaukee Brewers, some that were expected and others that no one saw coming.

The most shocking move was that the Brewers elected to promote top outfield prospect Luis Lara despite all four of their current outfielders -- Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Jake Bauers -- swinging hot bats as of late. Lara replaced fifth outfielder Blake Perkins, whose demotion didn't come as a surprise, but given the lack of everyday opportunities available, the timing of Lara's promotion to the big leagues is nevertheless rather puzzling. Finding at-bats for all five outfielders will no doubt be a challenge for Pat Murphy and company.

That said, Lara's promotion is one that Brewers fans have long been calling for. The 21-year-old switch-hitting outfielder will make his debut tonight in Game 2 of Milwaukee's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.

While Lara's addition to the MLB roster was an exciting, albeit shocking, development this morning, what was less surprising was the Brewers' placement of infielder David Hamilton on the 10-day IL. Hamilton, in the process of crushing a 2-RBI double into the right-center gap in Monday night's series opener, suffered a left hamstring strain. After the game, Murphy alluded to the fact that the injury may land Hamilton on the injured list, and though it took a while for his MRI results to be confirmed, the Brewers ultimately made the move and replaced Hamilton with Greg Jones.

David Hamilton placed on the IL for the remainder of the first half of the 2026 season

Milwaukee swapping Hamilton for Jones leaves their infield group in an interesting position for the remainder of the first half of the 2026 campaign. Jones is something of a super utility player, meaning he can play practically anywhere on the infield dirt and outfield grass. However, despite having plenty of experience as a shortstop earlier in his minor league career, since joining the Brewers' organization, Jones has yet to play on the left side of the infield in either MLB or Triple-A. Jones has played five games at second base for the Nashville Sounds, but outside of that, he's only played the outfield since signing a minor league deal with Milwaukee.

Back in mid-April, when Jones was first promoted to the Brewers' big-league roster, Murphy noted that most of Jones' opportunities with the big-league club would come in the outfield. Murphy held true to that comment during Jones' first stint in the majors this year, as the former first-round pick appeared only in the outfield for the Crew. It's telling, as well, that in the second game of today's doubleheader, Murphy is electing to play both Cooper Pratt and Joey Ortiz (both started Game 1) on the left side of the infield once again.

As a result, the Brewers' infield group looks rather thin for the rest of the first half of the 2026 season. Ortiz and Pratt are expected to see most, if not all, of the opportunities at third base and shortstop, respectively, for the final six games leading up to the All-Star Break. After colliding with Cardinals' second baseman Bryan Torres in Game 1 of today's doubleheader, Ortiz briefly put that reality in question, but Milwaukee's third baseman popped right back up, finished the game, and is in the lineup for Game 2.

Some were hoping to see prospect Jett Williams or offseason minor league free agent signee Eddys Leonard take Hamilton's spot, but such a move would create a difficult decision for the Brewers when Brandon Lockridge, who was placed on the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Jones, returns in a few short weeks. Additionally, with Hamilton's absence not expected to be long, the Brewers didn't want to bring up a top prospect like Williams just to send him back down shortly after the break. As such, Jones was the team's choice, though it remains to be seen just how many opportunities he will see before Hamilton returns.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow