Brewers News: Keston Hiura Clears Waivers, Remains In Organization

Late last week the Milwaukee Brewers made it public that Keston Hiura would not break camp with the team. In this instance "the team" was referring to being on the Opening Day roster. They also announced that they were looking to trade him and find him a different MLB opportunity.

Also around this time Brewers GM Matt Arnold and company were trying to navigate signing Luke Voit to a Major League deal. Due to Hiura falling off of the 40-man roster, this signing was eventually made possible. However, as a result it exposed their former ninth overall draft pick in Hiura to waivers in which in addition to possibly being traded, any team could have made a claim on him.

Had a team elected to claim Keston Hiura, they would have inherited his $2.2MM salary for the 2023 season. After the waiting period, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville. Given that this is his first time being outrighted for assignment, he did not have a chance to decline and elect free agency.

This means that Keston Hiura is staying within the Milwaukee Brewer system but at the Minor League level. He would need to get re-added to the 40-man roster in order to make an appearance for the Brew Crew.

What is in store for Keston Hiura going forward now that he is remaining with the Milwaukee Brewers?

For Hiura, this means that he currently does not have a MLB opportunity. All 29 other MLB teams could have initiated a trade for him or claimed him, but between a combination of his salary, defensive limitations, and offensive performance they all passed.

It will be an uphill battle for Keston Hiura to claw his way back into the big leagues. He will have to perform exceptionally well in the Minor Leagues, cut down on his strikeouts, and improve defensively. All of this would help his case, but even then it may not be enough to make it back with the Brewers.

Should another team be in need of Hiura's services, a trade could still be worked out. Injuries are a part of the game, so it's possible that this scenario plays out later on in the season.

For now, all Hiura can do is work on improving every day, play hard, and hope that he does well enough to warrant a return to the Major Leagues as soon as he can.