Brewers veteran opts out of contract, potentially impacting newly added Andrew Vaughn

33-year-old outfielder Eddie Rosario opted out of his minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. Rosario signed with Milwaukee on May 15 and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville. Over the past month, he has played in 20 games with a .290 batting average and .823 OPS.

While Rosario has been successful since joining the organization, the Brewers have not had room for him on the 26-man roster. Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, and Isaac Collins are starting in the outfield nearly every day. Christian Yelich has been almost solely a DH this season, but has shown he still has the ability to play corner outfield. Jake Bauers is a high-quality bench bat and pinch hitter, who is also capable of manning a corner outfield spot.

Milwaukee has not had a need for another outfielder on the roster, especially with both Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins returning from the injured list soon.

Now that Rosario has been with the organization for one month, he has exercised his ability to opt out of his contract. He will likely be seeking a major league deal from another team. Rosario has already appeared in the big leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves this season.

It's not a huge deal for Milwaukee, but it could have some impact on what the Brewers decide to do with the recently acquired Andrew Vaughn in the minor leagues.

Where will Andrew Vaughn play?

Vaughn is a primary first baseman. He has done nothing but play first base or DH for the Chicago White Sox over the last three seasons. That's a bit of a problem as he joins Triple-A Nashville.

Ernesto Martinez Jr., the everyday first baseman in Nashville, is a promising 25-year-old prospect with big power. He is having a strong 2025 season in Triple-A and is now knocking on the door of the major leagues.

The Sounds also have Bobby Dalbec, who is also a natural first baseman, on the roster. Dalbec played some shortstop in the major leagues for the White Sox this season, but has been getting work in right field with Nashville due to the team's roster needs.

Then there's Tyler Black, who missed the first month and a half of the season with a fractured bone in his right hand. Black has been all around the diamond, but his limited defensive ability suggests that he will end up at first base in the majors — the position where he made six starts for the Brewers a season ago.

Meanwhile, the only natural outfielders currently in Nashville after Rosario's departure are Jimmy Herron and Jared Oliva (with Drew Avans currently filling in for Daz Cameron on the big league roster). Perhaps this opens up an opportunity for the Brewers to play Vaughn in the outfield.

At the beginning of Vaughn's career, the White Sox threw him into the fire and played him in the outfield without any previous experience. In 2021 and 2022, Vaughn played a combined 191 games in the outfield. His last appearance in the outfield was on September 30, 2022.

Without Rosario, the Sounds need outfielders. The Brewers would probably also prefer not to block Ernesto Martinez Jr. or Tyler Black from getting regular at-bats. It will be interesting to see what the plan is for Vaughn, considering Milwaukee had an outfield position label under his name for the official trade announcement.