What should the Brewers do when Sal Frelick returns?

The "Summer of Sal" has taken Wisconsin by storm this season, as Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick has been one of the leaders of this record-breaking Brewers' squad. The scrappy outfielder with the dirty jersey was having his best MLB season to date, hitting for a .294 average, seven home runs, and working towards career highs in walks and stolen bases, all while defending his Gold Glove from a season ago. That is, until he was forced to leave the Brewers’ first-half finale against the Washington Nationals last weekend with a hamstring injury. That injury lingered through the All-Star Break, landing Frelick on the 10-day IL to start the second half of the season.

The Brewers earned a hard-fought sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, again, to come out of the break, and then took game one of their series against the Seattle Mariners last night to extend their winning streak to 11 games. They did so without their everyday leadoff hitter in Frelick. The silver lining, if it can even be called that, is that the timing of Frelick's injury lined up with the return of Blake Perkins, who missed the first half of the season with a fractured shin.

Frelick will be eligible to return late this week, after the Brewers placed him on the IL retroactively to July 15th, and manager Pat Murphy is hopeful that he will not need a rehab assignment before rejoining the team. Of course, it is possible that another player will need an IL stint when Frelick is ready to return, which would make things easier for now. However, if that isn't the case, what options do the Brewers have for Frelick and the rest of the outfield?

Option 1: Option Andruw Monasterio to Triple-A

I have often said that the Andruw Monasterio experiment never fails to amaze me. Every single time it seems like he is on his way back to Triple-A Nashville, another injury happens, or he has a big hit in a big spot that helps spark a rally. Both happened on Sunday, as Jake Bauers required an IL stint, leading to Tyler Black rejoining the big league roster. Then, in Sunday's game, Monasterio popped up with a big hit to help Milwaukee tie things up in the early going.

Eventually, things will catch up with Monasterio. Despite a penchant for the big moment, Monasterio is batting just .188 over 30 games this season. The versatility to play just about anywhere has been huge for him staying on the roster, but with a fully healthy roster, time may be out for Monasterio.

Should this be the scenario Milwaukee goes with, it will be interesting to see if the Brewers move Frelick or Collins to the infield. Frelick has limited experience, but experience nonetheless, at first and third base. Collins has played second and third base as well. Both have earned a spot in the lineup, but it will largely depend on manager Pat Murphy to get creative.

Option 2: Option Anthony Seigler to Triple-A

This tracks more in line with the Monasterio solution. Anthony Seigler has spent his playing career with the Yankees organization, prior to joining the Brewers prior to the 2025 campaign. In a similar fashion to Monasterio, Seigler has shown to be extremely versatile, having registered time playing catcher, second base, and third base, this season alone, with some outfield experience mixed in as well.

Seigler has only appeared in seven games for the Brewers at the big league level. He has had limited success, collecting just three hits in 15 registered at-bats. Seigler's best weapon is that he is able to play catcher should William Contreras' broken finger cause more problems. Unfortunately for him, this stint may be pretty short.

Option 3: Trade Deadline Madness

Milwaukee has too much of a good thing with its outfield. Chourio, Frelick, Perkins, and Collins all deserve roster spots. That doesn't count Christian Yelich, who has primarily assumed the DH role, except for the occasional day where William Contreras is the DH, and Eric Haase is behind the plate. Barring injury, it'll be tough to get everyone the playing time that they have earned once Frelick returns.

This is where things get really interesting. Milwaukee figures to be a buyer at the deadline. Some pundits are speculating that the Brewers will go in at third base, likely moving Caleb Durbin to second, and Brice Turang to shortstop, the positions that they came up through the minors playing. This would likely create a window to move Joey Ortiz, or keep him as an upgraded utility guy.

Of course, with the injuries to Jake Bauers and Rhys Hoskins, Milwaukee may look for an upgrade at first base, which would move Tyler Black back to the minors. This might warrant Frelick or Collins moving to the infield on a more regular basis, which is a very risky move given how incredible the chemistry of this team has been this season.

What if Milwaukee decides to move Collins or Perkins instead? Either as part of a deal for one of the aforementioned infield spots, or maybe a bullpen arm to bolster the Brewers bullpen. That would leave Chourio, Yelich, Frelick, and one of Perkins or Collins as the everyday guys, with Bauers, Monasterio, and Andrew Vaughn being plug-and-play options.

It's unlikely, but then again, there is no clear answer for how Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office is going to approach this year's deadline. With a tendency to make bold moves that generally aren't on fans' radars, nothing can be counted out. However, one thing is certain: it's going to be an interesting trade deadline for the best team in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers.