What should Brewers fans expect from David Hamilton in 2026?

The trade between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers has somewhat unfairly been labeled as the Caleb Durbin for Kyle Harrison swap, as important as though two centerpieces are to the ultimate fate of the deal.

There were, of course, four other players involved in that deal: Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler heading to Boston (plus a draft pick), and Shane Drohan and David Hamilton coming back to Milwaukee. None of that quartet figures to make a bigger impact on their new team than Durbin and Harrison will (at least in 2026), though it is telling that both sides agreed to swap their default utility infielders.

Though it appeared for a moment that Hamilton would have to take over for Durbin at third base, the Brewers alleviated that worry when they signed Luis Rengifo to a one-year deal. Hamilton can now assume the reserve infielder role that Monasterio has filled for the past three seasons.

So, the real question is: Did the Brewers upgrade or downgrade?

Comparing David Hamilton and Andruw Monasterio's 2026 projections

I'll preface this analysis with the fact that, by the end of his tenure, most Red Sox fans had grown weary of Hamilton. He simply wore out his welcome as a well-below-average hitter, though the green flags he brings to the table (defensive versatility and elite speed) are uniquely valued by the Brewers.

One other thing to note is that neither Hamilton nor Monasterio are expected to get a ton of run with their new teams. Steamer projects the latter to garner less than 60 plate appearances in Boston this season, while ZiPS foresees just 109 games of action for the former.

Andruw Monasterio vs. David Hamilton: 2026 projections

Steamer:
Monasterio: 59 plate appearances, .245/.322/.356, 88 wRC+, 1 HR/2 SB
Hamilton: 181 plate appearances, .217/.290/.358, 82 wRC+, 5 HR/15 SB

ZiPS:
Monasterio: 351 plate appearances, .240/.316/.371, 95 wRC+, 8 HR/10 SB
Hamilton: 374 plate appearances, .228/.298/.359, 81 wRC+, 9 HR/34 SB

From those projections, it's easy to see that Monasterio is the better all-around hitter, though Hamilton is an elite threat on the basepaths.

Of course, those offensive prognostications only tell half the story. Hamilton (who has spent all but one inning of his career at second base and shortstop) grades out as an exemplary player in the middle infield, especially at the keystone where he's accrued +6 Outs Above Average and +16 Defensive Runs Saved in his career. Compared to Monasterio, who is more versatile but less sure-handed, Hamilton is far better suited to fill in for Brice Turang or Joey Ortiz.

His struggles at the plate can't be overlooked. According to Baseball Savant, Hamilton would have ranked in the bottom ten percent among all MLB hitters in the following categories last year had he drawn enough at-bats to qualify: expected wOBA, expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate. That's bordering on "unplayable" territory.

But he's so fast and so good on the infield dirt that it isn't hard to find the Brewers getting some use out of him. Now that Rengifo will secure most of the starts at the hot corner, Hamilton should prove to be a valuable backup infielder for the Crew in 2026.