Did the Brewers foreshadow a creative solution to their left side of the infield woes?

At this point in the season, it's no secret that the Milwaukee Brewers' most glaring hole is offensive production from the left side of the infield. David Hamilton, who is riding a two-week hot stretch at the plate consisting of a .282/.364/.564 slash line over 12 games, has been their most productive left-side infielder, while splitting time between third base and shortstop.

On the contrary, Joey Ortiz and Luis Rengifo have struggled to provide consistent offensive production, posting OPS+ marks of 57 and 52, respectively. While Rengifo, who signed with the Brewers as a free agent, cannot be traded without his consent until June 16, there is growing hope that Milwaukee will address the positions in the near future. More than likely, that upgrade will come either in the form of a promotion of top prospects Cooper Pratt and/or Jett Williams, or via a trade acquisition before the August 3 deadline.

However, the Brewers may have quietly unveiled a creative solution that is also at their disposal, at least in certain situations. During the series finale against the Athletics in Las Vegas, Andrew Vaughn was deployed at the hot corner in the eighth inning following a series of defensive changes. While it was only a brief appearance, he did record a 5-3 putout and did so looking quite comfortable at the position.

Now that manager Pat Murphy has shown that Vaughn has enough experience and comfort at third base to handle the position in a major league game, it makes the idea of using him there more often intriguing. However, it remains challenging to envision Vaughn becoming the Brewers’ permanent solution to their third-base predicament.

Brewers fans should be cautious in expecting Andrew Vaughn to be the long-term solution to third base issue

On paper, using Vaughn more frequently at the hot corner could help address Milwaukee's lack of offensive production at third base while also creating additional opportunities to keep Jake Bauers, who has emerged as an All-Star candidate this season, in the lineup at first base.

However, the Brewers place a premium on defense, and that's where the idea begins to lose some appeal. Vaughn has logged just 11 innings at third base across three games since the beginning of his collegiate career, making him largely untested at the position. Asking him to play there on a regular basis could create more problems than it solves, particularly for a team that relies heavily on run prevention.

As a result, Vaughn is likely best viewed as an emergency or late-game option at third base rather than a legitimate everyday solution, with his usage there dependent on roster availability and specific game situations. That said, as substitutions become more frequent during the final stretch of the season and postseason, as every run carries greater importance, it would not be surprising to see Vaughn log a few more innings at the hot corner this season.

In the past, Murphy has shown a willingness to prioritize offense in high-leverage moments, most notably when he kept Bauers' bat in the lineup by deploying him in the outfield during last year's playoff push. If needed, Murphy could once again get creative at times in an effort to maximize the Brewers' offensive production when it matters most by using Vaughn at third base when needed.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow