The Milwaukee Brewers appear primed to make some roster moves before their final regular season homestand begins on Tuesday. The minor league season is done, there are several players on rehab assignments that could return and some minor league prospects that are deserving of promotions.
The NL Central is almost wrapped up. Just one more win or Cubs loss will officially clinch the division and it's basically just a formality at this point. The Brewers need to prepare themselves for the postseason by getting their best players and the players they can rely on in October up on the roster so the team is in the best position possible to make a run deep into October.
How can they do that? By making these roster moves.
Brewers roster move to make #1: Activate Garrett Mitchell, Option Blake Perkins to Triple-A, place Jesse Winker on 60 day IL
The move to activate Garrett Mitchell appears imminent. He's spent the last week and a half on rehab assignment in Triple-A after undergoing shoulder surgery back in April. He's made a quick recovery in order to get back this year and with no more possible rehab at-bats, it's time to activate him.
Although Mitchell may not be thrown into an everyday role right away, he can provide speed off the bench, quality pinch hit at-bats, and exceptional defense in the outfield. Mitchell provides a spark when he's out on the field. We saw that last year when he came up and we saw that earlier this year when he was healthy. He'll be a huge boost to this team not only in performance, but morale as well.
In order to activate Mitchell, I could see Blake Perkins getting optioned down to Triple-A to clear room on the active roster. But Mitchell was on the 60 day IL, meaning a 40 man spot will have to be cleared as well. That's where putting Jesse Winker on the 60 day will clear a spot. Winker was on rehab as well, but it's difficult to see the Brewers choosing to activate Winker considering how much he's struggled this season. Another option would be to DFA Brian Anderson, who hasn't started a game in over a month, but they should hold that for a different transaction...