Brewers return big bat to their roster ahead of Tuesday night's tilt in Arlington

After more than two months on the injured list, Rhys Hoskins is back with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 32-year-old slugging first baseman joined the team in Arlington for their three-game set with the Texas Rangers, but the Crew elected to wait until after the first game of the series was complete to officially add Hoskins back to the active roster.

Things look a little different in the Brewers' dugout compared to when Hoskins injured his left thumb back on July 5. Most notably in regard to Hoskins' place on the roster is the presence of Andrew Vaughn, who had one of the best opening months with the Brewers in franchise history after taking over the everyday first base duties. Meanwhile, as Vaughn continues to hit, it's been lefty Jake Bauers who has been one of the team's hottest hitters as of late, further complicating the Brewers' first base logjam. Bauers is slashing an unbelievable .444/.500/.667 with six RBI in his last seven games and has the advantage of being the only left-handed hitter among the Brewers' trio of first basemen.

Bauers and Vaughn may be hot, but don't forget who was the Crew's best hitter through the first two months of the season. That would be none other than Rhys Hoskins, who was sporting an .849 OPS with nine homers when the calendar flipped from May to June. Not only did Hoskins carry the Brewers' offense through what was one of the most difficult stretches of the season, but he also emerged as a clubhouse leader when the team was in search of their "edge." As one of the biggest power threats on Milwaukee's roster, and one of the few with extensive postseason experience, Hoskins has to be in the lineup down the stretch.

While Bauers does have the ability to man a corner outfield position, Vaughn and Hoskins are limited to first base or DH, but after Christian Yelich's recent back flare-up, it's unlikely that anyone other than the 2018 NL MVP is assuming the Brewers' DH role for the rest of the season. Therefore, manager Pat Murphy faces the difficult task of finding playing time for each of his three slugging first basemen, essentially without the luxury of the DH position. It's no easy task, but there are worse problems to have than having too many power bats on your roster as October baseball looms.

Brewers reinstate Rhys Hoskins from the IL, option Anthony Seigler to Triple-A in corresponding roster move

The Brewers were careful with Hoskins' return to the big leagues, electing to keep him in Triple-A for the maximum number of days during his rehab assignment. The result was several players getting a shot to prove themselves with the big league squad as Hoskins remained in Triple-A. In addition to Bauers, who received more opportunities with Hoskins on the shelf, rookie utility infielder Anthony Seigler saw regular playing time at third base, effectively forming a platoon with fellow rookie Caleb Durbin.

While Seigler showed some flashes of talent and his underlying metrics suggest he will become a productive big leaguer one day, his overall production wasn't enough to justify keeping him on the roster over someone like Bauers or Andruw Monasterio in the event of Hoskins' return. Over two months with the big league club, Seigler slashed .194/.292/.210 with just one extra-base hit. Even still, with his speed, defensive versatility, and offensive potential, it's easy to see why the Brewers like Seigler's profile, and he will certainly continue to factor into their infield plans for the foreseeable future.

Returning a proven veteran bat like Hoskins to the lineup in early September would be a welcomed development for any contender, but for the MLB-leading Brewers, whose power numbers have been called into question time and time again, it's that much more exciting. While it's unlikely that all three of Hoskins, Vaughn, and Bauers are ever in the lineup at the same time, having power options on the bench for important pinch-hit moments is a big advantage for the Brew Crew. Pair that with the veteran leadership that Hoskins provides and today's roster move should have Brewers fans especially excited for the stretch run.