If Sal Frelick Isn't a Plus Defender, How Long Can He Keep His Job?

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Finding playing time in the majors is all about demonstrating strengths. Teams don't play anyone because of their relative lack of weaknesses. Although it doesn't feel like a game as given to positional distribution of responsibility as football or soccer are, baseball has that same ethos. Not everyone should be the star. Not everyone has to do everything well. But you play when you show a team that you do something well. Are you slow-footed and weak-armed, but a great hitter? They'll find a place for you at first base or designated hitter, batting near the top of the order. A sure-handed and nimble fielder with a paucity of power? You can just bat eighth. You have to take your turns contributing to run creation, but they give you fewer of them. You make most of your contributions by keeping runs off the board for the opponents.

There's a phrase for a guy without a carrying tool—without any trait on which to hang their hat: organizational depth. It sounds harsh, but the realities of baseball are just that way. If you find a way to concretely help the team (even if it be something that doesn't feel concrete on the outside, like boosting clubhouse vibes or calming a panicking pitcher), you can stay. If you can't, sooner or later, you get the boot.

That boot is swinging back and taking aim at Sal Frelick right now. Yes, the left side of the Brewers infield has been lousy, but David Hamilton's speed and versatility are signature skills. Joey Ortiz's defense gives Pat Murphy a good reason to put his name on the lineup card. Even Luis Rengifo and Blake Perkins, with their blend of high baseball IQ, the capacity to switch-hit, and bursts of defensive brilliance, have roles you can describe to a fellow fan to justify their inclusion on the team, however shakily. At this moment, it's hard to make that case for Frelick.

According to Statcast, this is the hardest catch Frelick has made in right field all season.

You can probably quibble with that, and point to one or two other near-highlight plays, but undeniably, Frelick has been worse in the field this season. He's not actively hurting the team's run prevention (much) by being out there, but nor is he helping. That's a problem, because as a right fielder, he carries little positional value. To bolster run prevention, he has to show great range and/or great arm utility; he hasn't shown either this year. 

Worse, he's not doing anything to augment the team's offense. Thankfully, they haven't needed much from him, but Frelick's .223/.297/.310 line remains dreadful. He's making tons of contact, but producing no actual value on it. Of the 230 batters with at least 154 plate appearances this season, only seven have a worse slugging average on contact (SLGCON) than Frelick's .351, according to Baseball Prospectus.

His control of the strike zone is good, but not great, and not good enough to put him on base as often as he needs to be in order to use his plus speed. Nor is any of that fluky. Frelick doesn't consistently hit the ball hard or get it in the air. His expected weighted on-base average is back down to .283, where it was in 2024, after ticking up to .299 in 2025. He significantly outperformed that xwOBA last season, too, but isn't doing it this year, thanks to no longer having the knack for the line-drive single to right-center field.

Rengifo and Ortiz each have a worse SLGCON than does Frelick. Hamilton doesn't control the zone as well. All of them can do something that clearly makes the Brewers better in one facet, though. Over two months into the 2026 season, Frelick has shown little sign that the same is true of him. His playing time might not face as obvious a threat as the one prospects Jett Williams and Cooper Pratt pose to Ortiz, Hamilton and Rengifo, but Frelick would be the easiest player to justify benching or optioning to the minors right now. Nothing looks right, and he's not positively impacting the team on either side of the ledger.

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[Brian]

My problem with Sal is ... Sal trys to swing harder than Kyle Schwarber but Schwarber out weighs him by 40 pounds.  Dude Sal needs to realize he's not Schwarber.  He needs to concentrate on line drive singles and change his game ASAP and hit more like Luis Arraez with only about 5 HR's per year.  This advice would do him more than well. 

[wallus]

I think Sal is a little too comfortable in his spot. Sending him down to make some adjustments might be just what he needs

[jay87shot]

I feel like he has a couple weeks. Lara has earned a shot with the big league team. Lockridge isn't to far away, Mitchell has been playing a bit better than Sal. LF Chourio CF Lara RF Mitchell/Sal/Lockridge. In that scenerio we also lose Bauers OF playing time so lots up in the air.

[TheKitchenSink]

The weird thing is:

SO Rate = career low
BB Rate = career high
Hard Hite Rate = career high

He's just hitting way to many ground balls. 

[igor67]

By time you are done handing out off days to everyone Lara getting a full time shot in CF doesn't cost Bauers too many ABs. Spell Jackson a bit, give Yelich a few more days here and there off from DHing.

[Brock Beauchamp]

30 minutes ago, TheKitchenSink said:

The weird thing is:

SO Rate = career low
BB Rate = career high
Hard Hite Rate = career high

He's just hitting way to many ground balls. 

Welcome to Brewer Fanatic!

[Brian]

1 hour ago, jay87shot said:

I feel like he has a couple weeks. Lara has earned a shot with the big league team. Lockridge isn't to far away, Mitchell has been playing a bit better than Sal. LF Chourio CF Lara RF Mitchell/Sal/Lockridge. In that scenerio we also lose Bauers OF playing time so lots up in the air.

Personally I'd rather just trade Sal Frelick

Brewers: OF Luis Lara
If the Brewers want to add an impact pitcher or hitter to make another run for a postseason spot, they may have to deal a premium player from MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked farm system. They don’t want to trade baseball’s top overall prospect, Jesús Made, and club No. 2 prospect Luis Peña might have too many red flags from recent health scares. No. 4 Cooper Pratt just inked an eight-year contract in April, so he’s not moving, and No. 3 Jett Williams is so well fitted to the Brewers because of his positional versatility that it’s hard to envision the team dealing him away less than a year after getting him from the Mets. So, how about Lara (Brewers No. 5, overall No. 91), who is in the midst of a breakthrough season at Triple-A and plays a position -- outfield -- at which the Brewers are well stocked with young talent. -- Adam McCalvy

[Harold Hutchison]

My thinking?

DFA Perkins, select Lara to be the starting CF, move Mitchell to right, and have Frelick become the backup outfielder.

[Sugarrayray]

3 hours ago, Brian said:

My problem with Sal is ... Sal trys to swing harder than Kyle Schwarber but Schwarber out weighs him by 40 pounds.  Dude Sal needs to realize he's not Schwarber.  He needs to concentrate on line drive singles and change his game ASAP and hit more like Luis Arraez with only about 5 HR's per year.  This advice would do him more than well. 

Every time he bats I hold out a small semblance of hope that he will not try to back foot/go down on a knee pull the ball and instead try to go the other way and be the slap hitter he is - alas I am always disappointed.

Also I haven’t tracked his foot speed but he looks slower in all facets this year and is FAR from a menace on the basepaths.

[wallus]

21 minutes ago, Sugarrayray said:

Also I haven’t tracked his foot speed but he looks slower in all facets this year and is FAR from a menace on the basepaths.

Are we sure Sal isn't playing hurt? I would say he seems like a tough guy that doesn't ever want to come out.