Former Brewers prospect nearing MLB debut with new organization

One of the more unfortunate developments for the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason was the departure of outfield prospect Carlos D. Rodríguez from the organization. If you're thinking to yourself, "wait a minute, I saw Carlos Rodriguez pitch for the Brewers this season," don't worry, you aren't going crazy. The Brewers do have a pitcher, Carlos F. Rodriguez, who has bounced back-and-forth between Triple-A and MLB each of the last two seasons and is currently facing an unresolved injury scare. The former, Carlos D. Rodríguez, spent six years in the Brewers' farm system before being granted minor league free agency this past offseason and subsequently signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves.

Although the Brewers would have loved to retain Rodríguez, the path to the big leagues was less crowded in Atlanta than it would have been if he remained in Milwaukee. With Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins, Isaac Collins, and Christian Yelich all ahead of where Rodríguez would have landed on the depth chart, a more appealing situation lay elsewhere. Now, the decision to seek out that situation is nearly paying off for Rodríguez, who is on the cusp of his MLB debut.

Outfield prospect, Carlos D. Rodríguez, close to making MLB debut with Braves after six seasons in Brewers' minor league system

The Braves have been one of the more surprising stories of the 2025 season. With pre-season expectations through the roof, Atlanta started the season by losing seven straight games. They briefly appeared to be righting the ship, but on June 17, they sit a shocking eight games below .500, 13 games back of the New York Mets in the NL East.

One of the reasons for the team's sluggish start to the year is the poor play they've received from their outfield group. The Braves' superstar, Ronald Acuña Jr., returned from the IL in late May after tearing his ACL a year ago, and has looked like his usual All-Star self, but outside of him, things look rather bleak for Atlanta's outfielders.

2022 Rookie of the Year and perennial 3+ WAR center fielder Michael Harris II has not been what he was the last three years, slashing a meager .236/.262/.356 with an OPS+ of 71 through the team's first 70 games. Meanwhile, Wisconsin-native Jarred Kelenic, who put together a solid 2024 campaign for Atlanta after the team acquired him from the Seattle Mariners in December 2023, was optioned to Triple-A on April 28, and has been there ever since. Alex Verdugo, who signed with the Braves on March 20, has yet to hit a homer this season and is currently sitting at a career-worst .631 OPS.

Therefore, the door is more than open for Rodríguez, who is already on the team's 40-man roster and is slashing .306/.366/.358 in 62 games split between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He's never been a big power threat, but the high batting average has been a constant throughout Rodríguez's minor league career.

With the Braves scuffling and in need of more production from their outfield group, it's more than likely that Rodríguez will be called upon to help out the big-league club this season. When that happens, Brewers fans will keep a close eye on his success, thinking about what might have been if their team had found a way to promote him to the majors a season ago.