Brewers Sign Former First Round Pick To Minors Deal To Solidify Infield Depth

The Brewers continue to stock up on non-roster invites and potential big league depth options with the signing of former first round pick and Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo to a minor league contract.

If Arroyo is able to make the major league roster, he will earn a $1.5MM base salary with another potential $500k available in incentives.

The Brewers have several question marks in their infield currently and that provides opportunities for players to earn playing time. Arroyo joins Owen Miller, Jahmai Jones, Oliver Dunn, Vinny Capra, Tyler Black, and Yonny Hernandez as both roster and non-roster infielders vying for the roster in spring training.

Brewers sign Christian Arroyo to minor league contract

Arroyo was the 25th overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants and was once one of their top prospects. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in the Evan Longoria trade back in 2017. Then Arroyo was traded to Cleveland in 2019, was selected off waivers from Cleveland by the Boston Red Sox in 2020 and has been there ever since.

Arroyo is a career .252/.299/.394 hitter and he's never played in more than 87 games in a season. He's primarily been a bench option everywhere he's been, never earning a starting job but he's proven a capable utilityman. Arroyo's played every infield spot and even a little bit of right field but the Brewers won't need him there.

The Brewers infield is in a bit of flux, especially on the final few spots of the roster. Rhys Hoskins now has first base locked down, while Brice Turang is the favorite for the 2nd base starting job, Willy Adames will be at shortstop, and it looks to be an open competition at third base with Andruw Monasterio and Tyler Black as the two leaders.

The utility infield job is an important one and it's wide open. Arroyo is going to be competing for that utility position, and he'll have to beat out Owen Miller, Jahmai Jones, and Vinny Capra for it, each of whom are already on the 40 man roster. While an uphill climb, spring training will give Arroyo plenty of opportunities to pass up those players.

Arroyo put up back-to-back seasons with a 103 OPS+ in 2021 and 2022 before struggling in 2023, leading to his free agency. If Arroyo can get his bat back to where it was in '21 and '22, then he stands a good chance of earning a roster spot with the Brewers.