Milwaukee Brewers News: 1B/DH Luke Voit Designated For Assignment

The Milwaukee Brewers some off day news when they announced that they have designated 1B/DH Luke Voit for assignment. The move was announced Monday, the day before the a road trip which kicks off in Toronto.

Voit only played 22 games in a Brewers uniform. Over that span, the former Yankees home run champ slashed just .221/.284/.265 with zero home runs and a 36.5% strikeout rate. More notably Voit was 3-for-33 against left-handed pitching before eventually being put on the IL with a neck strain.

That's when the Brewers signed 1B Darin Ruf to take Voit's place while he was out. Similar to Voit, Ruf is a right-handed hitter that was expected to mash left-handed pitching and platoon well with Rowdy Tellez. After just nine games with Ruf slashing .250/.348/.300, the Brewers have elected to stick with him over Voit.

This move also opens up a 40-man roster spot for Luis Urias, who has been rehabbing in Triple-A and should soon be activated off the 60-Day IL.

The Brewers have a week to find a trade partner to unload Voit before he gets released on waivers. If Voit does find his way on waivers there are more factors to be considered. Voit has surpassed five years of major league experience, meaning he can turn down a minor league assignment and elect free agency while still collecting his salary from the Brewers.

Hopefully Darin Ruf continues his solid stretch at the plate and ends up being the answer to this problem for the Brewers. If not, there are other options including former Brewers' All-Star Jesus Aguilar who was also designated for assignment. Whatever ends up happening let's keep our fingers crossed that the Brewers eventually find the answer to this clear weak spot in the roster.

Along with Voit being designated for assignment it was announced that Alex Claudio has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A where he currently owns a 2.63 ERA in 16 appearances. The southpaw was one of Craig Counsell's go to middle inning relievers in 2019 and will remain a valuable depth piece.

Overall, both of these moves are good news and should improve the Brewers' roster significantly. Voit was struggling and Claudio is a solid depth piece that will be nice to keep around.