After a Brief Learning Period in Right Field, Luis Lara Has Been the Defender the Brewers Knew He Would Be

The Brewers’ young outfielders were right in the middle of their Labor Day comeback win over the Cubs, which inched Milwaukee closer to another NL Central title by securing the season series. Luis Lara scored their first run in the fifth inning. After Jackson Chourio delivered the go-ahead single as part of a three-run eighth, Lara added more flair in the ninth with a leaping catch at the wall, robbing Pedro Ramírez of extra bases against Trevor Megill.

“In that situation, I’m just reacting,” Lara said through interpreter Daniel de Mondesert. “That’s the only thing going through my head, is reacting to the play and to the ball off the bat, and just finding any way I possibly can to make the play there.”

It wasn’t lost on Pat Murphy that Lara made a pivotal play in the field minutes after a poor at-bat to end that eighth-inning rally.

“That response type stuff is what it’s all about,” Murphy said. “Responding after things don’t go right, and as quickly as possible.”

His closer appreciated the effort.

“He goes balls to the wall,” Megill said. “That’s what we want from our outfielders and our defense, and that’s the standard. He goes out there and does that every single day on defense.”

That’s a crude but accurate way to put it. In fewer than 50 big-league games, Lara has already assembled an impressive highlight reel. He entered Monday with 6 Defensive Runs Saved and 2 Outs Above Average in 339 outfield innings. Before that, Lara won a Gold Glove in 2025 in the minor leagues, where he developed a reputation for his daring patrol of the grass.

“He makes that play at the wall look really, really easy,” said Christian Yelich, who formerly traversed right field at American Family Field. “And it’s not an easy play, especially in right field, because of how [the wall] slants in and goes back. It’s just a funky area over there, and he makes it look easy.”

That wasn’t the case immediately after Lara’s promotion to the majors. After he played mostly center in the minor leagues, the Brewers have used him primarily in right field. While most modern big-league stadiums measure at least 325 feet between home plate and the foul poles in both outfield corners, many minor-league parks have smaller dimensions closer to 300 feet in the corners, with shorter warning tracks.

Lara has maintained that he has always felt confident in his ability to play any outfield position, but he was clearly unfamiliar with that newfound space in right field. He seemed uncertain of how close he was to the wall, leading to some early hesitation on plays that should have been easier for him.

The most notable moment came in his second big-league game in St. Louis. When Masyn Winn drove a deep but relatively routine fly ball to right, Lara kept checking on the wall. As soon as he hit the warning track, he believed he was running out of room, so he slowed down and leaped. Instead of hitting the padding as he expected, Lara fell forward into open space, flubbing the ball and turning what should have been an out into a double.

A couple of weeks later, Lara was tested with a bloop fly ball down the right-field line, with Brice Turang and Jake Bauers converging toward him as the play unfolded. It was Lara’s ball, but he hesitated to avoid a collision, and the ball dropped for a double.

Both misplays were understandable for a young outfielder acclimating to new and unfamiliar surroundings. Lara had played very little right field as a professional, but there was reason to believe that his instincts and ability would allow him to transition quickly.

That’s precisely what happened. August brought more reckless catches, with Lara sacrificing his body to the wall without hesitation. His coming-out party was an extra-innings win against the Twins on August 9. With the game tied at 3-3 in the sixth inning, he robbed Brooks Lee of extra bases with a leap at the wall.

He made a far better play in the 10th, taking a perfect route on a Kody Clemens drive and slamming into the wall, preventing the go-ahead run on second base from scoring.

At that point, Lara had played just two big-league games in center field, and nearly all of his action came in right. Pat Murphy revealed that to be a deliberate decision after the game, saying he wanted to limit Lara to one position to ease his transition.

“He’s very capable of [playing] center field, but I didn’t put him in center because I want him to just keep getting more and more comfortable in right field,” Murphy said.

Lara has since gotten more action in center while Garrett Mitchell nursed a foot injury, and the highlight-reel plays have accumulated at both positions. Pair that defense with a passable 97 wRC+ and .337 on-base percentage, and the 21-year-old has already been an impact player in his rookie season.

“In all areas on the field, I feel like I have confidence,” Lara said. “Defending, at the plate, running the bases—whatever it is, I have confidence in my ability, so [I'm] just really out there enjoying it.”

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