Brewers maintain necessary infield depth after reuniting with minor league free agent

In the middle of August, it was revealed just how close the Milwaukee Brewers' infield group is to spiraling into chaos.

In addition to a platoon of Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers at first base, the Brewers carry four players to cover the remaining three infield spots. Brice Turang starts practically every game at second base, 22-year-old rookie Cooper Pratt earns most of the starts at shortstop, and Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton form something of a platoon at third base, with the former also filling in at shortstop from time to time.

A pair of injuries to that quartet of Turang, Pratt, Ortiz, and Hamilton would put the Brewers' roster in an uncomfortable position, and that's just what happened during the second week of August. With Pratt residing on the injured list due to a minor hamstring strain, Ortiz suffered a bout of neck/upper back tightness which kept him out of the lineup. Shortly after Ortiz returned to the lineup, Turang went down with knee soreness that kept him away from the field for four games.

Between Pratt's time spent on the IL and Ortiz and Turang's back-to-back injuries, the Brewers were essentially down two infielders for a full week, and it led to some necessary creativity from both manager Pat Murphy and the front office. During the stretch, Andrew Vaughn made several starts at third base, Turang started at shortstop, something he hadn't done since the 2023 season, and Hamilton made a rare start at second base. Additionally, the front office signed former Pittsburgh Pirates utility man Jihwan Bae to serve as infield depth, before replacing him on the roster with Jonathan Ornelas, aka "Johnny Rockets," who they acquired from the Athletics in a rare post-trade deadline deal.

The period of injuries revealed the necessity of having depth at each position in the minor leagues. The Brewers do have options like prospects Jett Williams and Luke Adams in Triple-A, but both were coincidentally injured at the time when Milwaukee's infield depth was tested. The Brewers can't afford another situation in which a pair of injuries leads them to scramble for infield help, especially now that replacement options are harder to come by as the regular season draws to a close.

Thankfully, Milwaukee will maintain some degree of infield depth after Ornelas, who was designated for assignment on August 25, elected to re-sign with the Brewers on a minor league deal on Monday evening.

Jonathan Ornelas remains in Brewers' organization, signs minor league deal to serve as necessary infield depth down the stretch

The Brewers designated Ornelas for assignment one week ago to make room for Sal Frelick, who was returning to the active roster after a month-long stint on the IL with a right shoulder strain. Ornelas cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, but instead elected free agency. Three days later, the 26-year-old Ornelas decided to return to the Brewers on a new minor league contract.

Ornelas earned just nine at-bats in three games during his brief stint with the Brewers last month. He collected two singles in those limited opportunities, and has struggled to maintain a consistent role on a big-league roster throughout his career. However, Ornelas is putting together his best season in the minor leagues this year, with a .310/.378/.505 slash line in 81 games to prove it. He has 29 extra-base hits, 11 of which are homers, during those 81 games and has certainly caught the Brewers' attention.

While it's unlikely that Ornelas appears in another game for the Brewers before the end of the season, and probably won't be a part of the organization next year, should Milwaukee run into a similar situation that they did in mid-August, where multiple of their infielders go down with injuries at the same time, having an option like Ornelas in Triple-A could end up being important. The Brewers have demonstrated that they are comfortable having Ornelas start games in the big leagues, if the situation calls for it, meaning they won't have to scramble for another option if their infield depth is tested once more.

In the meantime, the Brewers will now have a firsthand look at Ornelas and the breakout season that he's putting together in the minor leagues. If it's clear that he's made a key adjustment at the plate that could be long-lasting, the former third-round pick could stick around for another season in the Brewers' minor league system.

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