Ben Lepak

Transactions: Miami Marlins traded RHP Austin Roberts to Milwaukee Brewers for cash. Roberts was assigned to Biloxi. RHP Caleb Nieman assigned to Carolina Mudcats from ACL Brewers. LHP Santiago Martinez assigned to DSL Brewers Blue from DSL Brewers Gold. SS Joandrew Pena assigned to DSL Brewers Gold from DSL Brewers Blue. All 2025 draft picks have now officially been been activated and assigned to the ACL Brewers. There's quite the list of names so they will not be listed here but feel free to peruse the list. Game Action: Final: DSL Brewers Blue 15, DSL Red Sox Red 5 Box Score The DSL Brewers Blue busted out their walking shoes on Monday night as the squad scored 15 runs on just eight hits, with the DSL Red Sox issuing a whopping 16 walks and 5 HBP. The Brewers had just one extra base hit on the day – the first professional homerun for Brailyn Antunez. The 17 year-old Antunez knocked in five runs on three hits – both professional bests – for the #42 overall prospect in the 2025 international class. Antunez also stole two of the Brewers’ nine bases on the day. Carlos Done joined Antunez as the only other Brewer with a multi-hit day. Done had two singles, two RBI, three steals, and scored three times. Shortstop Leonard Rijo drew four walks and scored twice, while first baseman Joan Gutierrez drew three walks and scored three times. Moises Polanco added to his team-leading RBI total with his 35th steak, while also reaching base three times. In terms of pitching performances, there wasn’t a whole lot to highlight for the Brewers as three pitchers combined to issue nine hits and 10 walks over nine innings. Lenin Mendez was the only DSL Brewer to toss a scoreless appearance on Monday with 1.2 innings to go along with one strikeout. The trio of Brewers’ arms did combine for 10 strikeouts, led by six punch outs from Josue Toledo, who earned his first win of the season in relief. Final: DSL Brewers Gold 10, DSL Rojos 9 Box Score The DSL Brewers Gold edged the Rojos on Monday with a 10-9 victory spearheaded by a trio of 17-year old batters. Catcher Isais Chavez led the way with three hits, two runs scored, two RBI, and two walks. Left fielder Alexander Frias had a career-best three hits and now has produced multi-hit games in four out of his last five. Nicolas Barrios was the other Brewer player to record two hits, and his RBI triple in the seventh inning proved to be the winning margin. We featured leadoff man Juan Martinez in the MiLB Hitters of the Month piece last week, and Martinez went one for five on the day, but extended his hitting streak to 11 games while raising his average from .264 to .327 in that stretch. Again there was not a lot of brilliance on the mound for Brewers’ pitchers, as a trio of arms combined to allow 15 hits, nine runs, and four walks. Saul Sanchez was perhaps the Brewers’ most effective thrower on the day, working 3IP, 3H, 1ER, 2BB and 3K to earn his first win of the season. Elsewhere around the Minor League affiliates: All four full-season affiliates endured losing weeks in the Brewers organization last week, so we will search for some silver linings… Carolina had a rough go of it last week, winning the first game of their series with Augusta, before dropping the next four games. The Mudcats still hold a 1.5 game lead in the second-half standings over Fredericksburg. The Cats host first-half champs Lynchburg this week and will look to exact some revenge over the Guardians’ affiliate. Lynchburg leapfrogged Carolina in the final weeks of the first half for the first half title and playoff spot. Also featured in last week hitter of the month post, was Josh Adamczewski, and he was about the only Mudcat to hit last week, going five for 15 with four extra base hits for a 1.377 OPS for the week. Besides proving he can stay healthy, the 20 year-old Adamczewski has to be wondering what else he can do to earn a promotion to High A. In case you missed the news, Jesus Made and Luis Pena are finally heading to Appleton this week. The Brewers’ top two prospects combined to hit four for 33 last week, so they were not exactly blistering the ball leading up to their promotion. With the call-ups of Made and Pena, some of the attention on the Mudcats can now be paid to the stockpile of arms heading up the Carolina run prevention unit. Tyler Renz, Melvin Hernandez, Travis Smith, and Jayden Dubanewicz all allowed just one earned run in their separate appearances last week, going three to five innings for each. They combined for 17 strike outs in 16.2 IP. Here’s a look at Dubanewicz with a nice view from behind home plate: The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers also had a tough week, bested in four of six with Lake County and the T-Rats scored just 14 runs in the six game series. Wisconsin has the worst second half record among the 12 team Midwest League. The Rattlers will travel to Peoria to take on the Cardinals’ affiliate, the team closest to them in the standings, and we will see if the additions of Made and Pena can help Wisconsin climb out of the cellar. When first baseman Blake Burke was promoted from Appleton to Biloxi last week and with Jadher Areinamo dealt, that opened some room on the Wisconsin roster for Made and Pena. Eduardo Garcia was the lone bright spot offensively for Wisconsin last week, as he went nine for 18, with two doubles, five RBI, and three steals in the week for a 1.182 OPS. Here’s one of those doubles, courtesy of the Rattlers’ X account: On the bump for Wisconsin a few players stood out, including the rehabbing Robert Gasser, who struck out five in four scoreless innings. Yerlin Rodriguez struck out six across three innings of relief work. Manuel Rodriguez logged his longest outing since April with six innings of one-run ball. Rodriguez has allowed just one earned run in his last 17.1 innings, with a 14:2 BB:K ratio in that span. In Biloxi, the Shuckers also struggled, as they dropped five consecutive games to Pensacola in a one-win week at AA. The eight-team Southern League has just two teams with winning records in the second half and Biloxi is near the bottom at 14-19. The Shuckers travel to Knoxville this week to take on the Cubs’ affiliate. On offense it was a tough week for the Shuckers, who managed just 10 extra base hits and zero home runs, as the power outage continued in wake of Brock Wilken and Luke Adams’ absences. Catcher Darrien Miller continued to swing a hot bat with two of those extra base hits, five hits total, and five walks for 1.071 OPS for the week. The aforementioned Burke made his AA debut and went three for eight with his first RBI in AA in two games. There were not a lot of dominant starting pitching performances during the week for Biloxi, but relievers Brian Fitzpatrick, Zach Peek, and Mark Manfredi all had scoreless multi-inning appearances last week. Spencer featured Manfredi and a couple other Shuckers’ relievers in his July round up, so be sure to check that out. Finally, the Nashville Sounds lost four of six games to first-place Scranton last week and now find themselves nine games back in the standings. The Sounds host first half champion Jacksonville this week and will look to play a happier tune. Daz Cameron and Jorge Alfaro hit the lone home runs for the Sounds last week and both players remained hot with an OPS north of 1.100 for the week. The rest of the Sounds’ hitters produced some pretty gruesome numbers, going a combined 27 for 155 (.174 average) with a 46:18 K:BB ratio. A forgettable season from Tyler Black continued as the former prospect struck out 10 times in 20 at-bats to lead the team in woe. On the hill, Chad Patrick had the best start of any Sounds’ hurler this week, pitching into the sixth inning while allowing just one earned run. Carlos Rodriguez bounced back from his worst start of the year with 3.2 innings scoreless, despite two hits, four walks, and a HBP. Rodriguez has not pitched into the fifth inning since mid-May, as he continues to ramp up after missing all of June. View full article

Image courtesy of © Max Correa / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images July produced mixed results for the Brewers’ affiliates. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers finished the month 10th out of 12 teams in the Midwest League in OPS with a collective .631 mark. In the Southern League, the Shuckers sorely missed Brock Wilken and Luke Adams' presence in the middle of the order as the team hit just nine home runs in the month, the same amount Wilken had on his own in May. The Arizona Complex League finished with a dud, with the ACL Brewers compiling a .705 OPS for the month, good for 13th in the 15-team league. Most of this month’s standouts came from Carolina, who began to rediscover their early-season form while getting players healthy, and the Brewers Dominican Summer League teams, whose bats began to heat up in July. Let’s take a look at the top hitters for July in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Honorable Mention Handelfy Encarnacion, who only turned 18 in June, led the ACL Brewers with a .853 OPS in July; he also scored 14 runs and knocked in eight. Check out Encarnacion in action here: Jorge Quintana was right behind Encarnacion with a .842 OPS in July in the ACL, but Quintana was a surprise addition in the Nestor Cortes trade at the deadline. Eric Bitonti knocked in 17 runs with four homers for Carolina in July, but also struck out a whopping 33 times, which was the second most among all Brewers-affiliated players. Dearly departed Jadher Areinamo led Wisconsin with 27 hits in July, three of which were round-trippers. Darrien Miller rocked a .943 OPS in 55 AB to lead the Shuckers in the month of July. The 24 year-old Biloxi backstop socked three dingers and drew 12 walks for a .436 OBP. See some of Miller’s work here: The Nashville Sounds had a solid month of July on offense, finishing fifth out of 20 teams in the International League with a collective .815 OPS. Four every-day players (Jared Oliva, Raynel Delgado, Drew Avans, and Bobby Dalbec) posted an OPS of .800 or higher. That doesn’t even include Daz Cameron’s 1.201 OPS since returning to Nashville on July 9 after being designated for assignment. The rest of the Brewers’ three full-season teams only had two every day players with an OPS over .800 in July. However, in the spirit of highlighting “true” minor leaguers and not players mostly approaching (or beyond) their 30 birthday, we’re leaving these guys off the top six list for the month of July. Kudos to those Sounds for their efforts in providing depth to the Brewers’ organization. Without further ado, here are the top six minor league hitters for the month of July: #6 Luis Pena, Carolina Mudcats .302/.366/.397 63 AB 11 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 7 SB, 6 BB, 10 K The beat went on for Pena in July, who as of this writing, sits atop the Carolina League’s batting title race with a .312 average. Pena was slightly below that mark for the month, with a .302 average and a .763 OPS while going a perfect seven for seven in stolen bases. Pena had a nine game hit streak in July, culminated by a three-hit effort in the Mudcats 9-3 win on July 23. Pena is one of a handful of Mudcats who could be in line for a promotion as the dust settles after the trade deadline. Pena is now ranked as the #18 overall prospect by Baseball America and #32 by MLB Pipeline. Here’s a nice super slo-mo shot of Pena’s swing courtesy of Josh Norris on X: #5 Carlos Done, DSL Brewers Blue .273/.405/.530 66 AB, 11 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 5 SB, 11 BB, 18 K Done, who is still only 18 years old despite missing all of 2024 due to injury, heated up in July with a .935 OPS in the month. Done generated 18 hits in the month, with ten of them going for extra base hits. He also went five for seven in steals while holding down both corners of the DSL Brewers’ outfield. #4 Josh Adamczewski, ACL Brewers and Carolina Mudcats .333/.449/.555 69 AB, 23 R, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB, 13 BB, 11 K Adamczewski returned after a two month absence and picked up right where he left off, first punishing Arizona Complex League pitchers with four multi-hit games, then returning to the Carolina League mid-month and recording four multi-hit games there. On the season, Adamczewski has a .352 average across all levels, which is good for 26th overall among all minor league players with at least 100 at-bats. Simply put, Adamzcewski’s bat has nothing left to prove in Low A ball, and he needs to be promoted to Wisconsin to test his hit tool at the next level. #3 Moises Polanco, DSL Brewers Blue .324./.437/.493 71 AB, 19 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 5 SB, 15 BB, 15 K Polanco was the straw stirring the drink for the month of July in the Dominican Summer League as he drove in a staggering 24 runs, which was more than any other Brewers’ DSL player has produced for the entire DSL season. Polanco collected seven multi-hit games, including a three-hit, five-RBI performance in the Brewers 8-7 win over the Athletics on July 15. That game was part of a five game stretch where Polanco pounded out nine hits and 11 RBIs. Polanco, who only turned 18 years old at the end of May, rotated around the infield in July, seeing action at every position except for first base. For the season, Polanco sports a .860 OPS and a 129 wRC+. #2 Braylon Payne Carolina Mudcats .383./.517/.638 47 AB, 15 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 SB, 13 BB, 6 K Earlier this month, Spencer Michaelis took a deep dive into Payne’s roller coaster season and broke down some changes that 2024’s first round pick has made in his batting stance and load. That piece looks even more prescient now, as Payne was one of the Brewers’ best hitters in the month of July before an errant throw hit Payne in the head and landed him on the IL to end the month. There were quite a few highlight reel hits from Payne in July, including this walk off: However, another exciting development has been Payne’s improvement in taking walks and avoiding strikeouts. After a month of June in which Payne struck out 20 times and drew just one walk, Payne turned it around in July for his first month of the season that Payne had more walks (13) than strikeouts (10). #1 Juan Martinez DSL Brewers Gold .426/.541/.721 68 AB, 21 R, 9 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 9 SB, 15 BB, 9 K Martinez was the Brewers' best hitter in the month of July, as he put the ball in play and used his speed to take additional bases, despite not profiling as a big-time power hitter. The 18-year-old Martinez finished the month by hitting safely in 16 of his final 17 games, with nine multi-hit efforts in the month. Fourteen of his 29 hits went for extra bases and Martinez added nine steals. On the season, Martinez is 20 for 21 in base thievery with a 155 wRC+. The switch-hitting infielder saw most of his action at second base and the hot corner in July, though he was originally signed as a shortstop for $125,000 in the 2024 international class. Here’s a look at a few of Martinez’s knocks from each side of the plate from Brewers’ PD X account: Who did you have as the best hitter in the month of July? August marks the last full month of baseball for the minor league affiliates. Which players do you expect to see on the list next month? Any early predictions for Brewers Minor League Player of the Year? Share your thoughts in the comments below. View full article

Brace yourself for the "getting Rhys Hoskins back (eventually) is like trading for a bat at the deadline" talking points

He's this year's Tyler Saladino!

Shoot that’s a couple key pitchers going to the IL. 🤔😨

Transactions: None Game Action: ACL Brewers 11, ACL Reds 7 Box Score Through the first three innings of the Brewers' Arizona Complex League game on Monday, it looked like the Brewers' bats were not going to muster much of a fight. The offense managed just one single in their first 10 at-bats and then fell behind 2-0 when the Reds opened scoring in the bottom of the third. Everything turned on its' head in the Brewers' half of the fourth inning when the team rallied for six runs. The inning began with a double from Luis Castillo, then three consecutive singles from Jorge Quintana, Frederi Montero, and Jadyn Fielder set the stage for Demetrio Nadal's three-run blast. Roderick Flores then followed with a solo shot of his own and the Brewers offense was cooking with a 6-2 lead. Both Nadal and Flores would hit homers later in the game to help preserve the lead as the Brewers and Reds matched each other run for run in the sixth through eighth innings. Quintana also added a late solo homer. The Brewers ended up pounding out 15 total hits in the game, with six players producing multi-hit games. Leadoff man Handelfry Encarnacion was on base three times and also drove in his 36th run of the season, which is tied for eighth in the ACL. Nadal and Flores combined for seven RBIs out of the sixth and seventh positions in the batting order. DSL Brewers Gold 18, DSL Cubs Blue 3 Box Score The DSL Brewers Gold put on some kind of offense show on Monday, pounding out 14 hits, drawing 16 walks, and striking out 13 times on the way to an 18-3 obliteration of the DSL Cubs Blue. The Brewers did all their scoring in just four innings worth of rallies, hanging crooked numbers of four, seven, three, and four runs on the Cubs. A few of the highlights: Both Brewers catchers homered in the game with Isais Chavez going yard in the third and Roniel Paulino entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth and hitting a grand slam in his only plate appearance. For the 17 year-old Paulino, it was his first professional homer. Kenny Fenelon ended a 30 game homer drought, with his second long ball of the season. For Fenelon, the top rated signee in the Brewers 2025 international class, it was his first homer since the first game of the DSL season. The trio of seventeen year-olds Cristoper Acosta, Eryks Rivero, and Cristian Montilla filled up the box score with multi-hit/multi-run efforts. Acosta and Rivero each reached based four times and Montilla collected three hits. Jonathan Rangel, fresh off his appearance in the Dominican Summer League All Star Game, drew five walks in six plate appearances. Raymond Sarmiento did the heavy lifting on the mound to earn his first professional victory. Sarmiento came on in relief in the third inning and worked five innings, allowing two runs and striking out three. DSL Brewer Blue 5, DSL Dodgers Bautista 4 Box Score The Brewers jumped out early in this one, then had to rally midway through, and finally held on to a slim margin in the final inning to mimic their parent club in a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers on Monday. In the top of the first inning, the Brewers got a two-out RBI single from third baseman Moises Polanco to grab an early 1-0 lead. Polanco now leads all DSL Brewers players with 27 RBI and is second among all Brewers’ DSL players with a .924 OPS. The Dodgers rallied for solo runs in the second and third, before the Brewers came back with a three run rally in the top of the fourth. Frandy Lafond had an RBI single in the frame and Jhoanjel Saez knocked in two with a double to make it 4-2 Brewers. In the fifth inning, Leonard Rijo made it 5-2 Brewers with an RBI groundout. Rijo was a demon on the basepaths with three steals to tie him for the DSL Brewers’ team lead with Juan Martinez at 15. On the mound, 19 year-old Josue Toledo couldn’t make it through five innings to deny us box score symmetry, with five hits, five walks and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Justin Lugo (not to be confused with teammate Yoneiker) cleaned up the final 2.1 innings to lock down the seven inning contest. Lugo did allow a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, but then struck out the final hitter to seal the victory. Elsewhere around the organization: The Carolina Mudcats swept all three games at Delmarva over the weekend to improve to 15-7 in the second half. The Mudcats maintained their first place position, just one game ahead of Fredericksburg in the Carolina League North. Pedro Ibarguen, who turned 19 earlier this month, hit his first homer at Carolina on Sunday. Ibarguen has hit safely in all eight games since being promoted from the Arizona Complex League to Carolina at the end of June. He’s now slashing .357/.455/.464 for the Mudcats. Luis Pena collected five hits to go along with two steals in the three game series. Here's a not-so-bold prediction: fans will see Pena in Appleton very soon. Josh Adamczewski returned to Carolina this weekend and picked up right where he left off with three hits to raise his batting average to .350. Braylon Payne saw his ten game hit streak snapped on Saturday, though he did draw two walks and scored twice in that game. Payne continued his torrid July on Sunday with two more hits, giving him a July slash line of .395/.531/.711. On the mound, the Mudcats got stellar outings from Bryce Meccage (5IP, 2H, 1R, 0BB, 6K) and Travis Smith, (5IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB 5K) who bookended the weekend with wins. The Mudcats host Kannapolis for six games this week. The Cats took four of six from the White Sox affiliate back in May. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a tough weekend, getting walked off in the tenth inning on both Friday and Sunday, with the two losses sandwiched around a thorough 10-0 blowout of Cedar Rapids. Infielder Jadher Areinamo started games at shortstop, second, and third in the series and pounded out seven hits (two homers) for 13 total bases in the three game series. This Aerinamo homer was in the air so long they served a meal on the flight: In case you missed it, the T-rats acquired a new catcher, Andrick Nava, last week. The twenty-three year old backstop acquitted himself nicely with three hits in two games. Nava was one of five Rattlers players with a multi-hit game in Saturday’s decisive victory. Blake Burke had three singles in that game and Tayden Hall had his first ever two homer game. Manuel Rodriguez was the star of Wisconsin’s pitching staff over the weekend with a his longest outing since the beginning of April. Rodriguez needed just 63 pitches to deliver five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, with two walks and three strikeouts. Rodriguez, who turns 20 in August, has a 1.99 ERA and 35:9 K:BB ratio in 40.2 innings for Wisconsin this season. The Timber Rattlers are now 7-17 in the second half and head to Quad Cities for six games with the Royals’ affiliate this week. In AA, the Shuckers took two of three from Montgomery over the weekend. Former fourth round draft pick Matthew Wood was on base seven times in the series, with four hits and three walks. The 24 year-old Wood is sporting a .802 OPS in 29 games with Biloxi this season. Garrett Spain hit safely in all three games this weekend, including his ninth homer of the season. In case you missed it, Spain also went semi-viral this weekend with this juke move that undressed the Biscuits’ catcher: If this baseball thing doesn’t work out for Spain, perhaps he has a future playing running back on Sundays. Tate Kuehner continued his impressive work with 5.2 more scoreless innings and six more strikeouts. Kuehner now has 13 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Brett Wichrowski struck out five in four one-run innings on Friday night to lower his ERA to 2.40 on the season. The Shuckers are still in last place in the second half standings, but will look to fatten up when they host Rocket City, the Southern League’s worst team, this week. Finally, the Nashville Hot Chickens took two of three games from first place Indianapolis over the weekend, meaning three of four Brewers’ affiliates secured winning weeks coming out of the break. Daz Cameron continued to dazzle us atop the Nashville lineup, with seven hits and two home runs over the weekend. Cameron has a ludicrous 1.358 OPS with 10 homers in just 18 games with Nashville this season. Check out one of his two blasts here: In case you missed it, Tyler Black was recalled by the Brewers on Sunday to fill-in for the ailing Jake Bauers. It’s been a grind for Black this season, but he did hit safely in his last six games in Nashville with a .286/.364/.429 slash line in 49 at-bats in July. However, Pat Murphy’s bench sees less action than a COVID-era home gym, so it remains to be seen if Black gets any playing time in his return to The Show. On the mound at AAA, Nestor Cortes threw 80 pitches over 5.1 innings of one-run ball to earn the win on Friday. Cortes is nearing a big league return, so something will have to give in the Brewers’ rotation soon. Chad Patrick pitched well on Saturday, with two earned runs in five innings, and former Brewers Bryan Hudson, Elvis Peguero, and Craig Yoho all worked scoreless relief outings to lock down the win. Yoho has just three earned runs allowed in 31 innings at Nashville. Logan Henderson took the loss on Sunday and now has allowed 12 earned runs in 18.2 innings in July. Nashville is 11-10 in the second half and will host 11-9 Charlotte for six games this week. View full article

Ope, I am not sure how I got on the wrong day. Ugh

Sure, underlying metrics are nice. They’re like a warranty on brake pads tho

I’m not advocating for IKF, but if you ask me which guy I prefer, gimme the one that costs 1/10 the price of McMahon and there’s no commitment to beyond this year. He also fills a bigger hole. I think everyone can agree SS is the Brewers’ biggest need. They need to move on from Ortiz. If the Brewers are trying to upgrade third, I'm with @Turning2 on wanting Suarez, tho Shane Smith just hit him last night. Curious to see what the return is for his bat. Suarez is the only hitter who we can count on to supply power to this lineup. However, Durbin has been good lately, so that’s tough to do to him. I’m not taking a gamble on McMahon mayyybe potentiallyyyy being an upgrade over Durbin at McMahon’s salary. Brewers are cheap and will have other players to pay.

ACL Brewers did some raking today too. Handelfry with a four hit day including a double and a homer. Quintana with a three-run inside-the-park job! I have to imagine Adamczewski is back in Zebulon this weekend. I hope his back doesn't give him any more grief this season

Acquired cheaply? Ok, mayyybe in terms of prospect capital, tho if that we're the case why hasn't he already been moved in any of the last few seasons? Then the not cheap part - pay him $16M a year (in addition to what he's owed yet this year) for two years. That's basically going to amount to the Brewers' prized free agent acquisition for the next two years. And you suggest losing his defensive value by moving him to first or balancing (platooning?) him at third with Durbin? Sorry, I don't see the Brewers ponying up that kinda money for a guy who has been, at best, a league average hitter in 9 years. The Brewers have corner infield prospects who'll arrive during McMahon's contract. They need a rental, not an expensive roll of the dice based on hope. Gimme IKF if we want a glove-first mediocre bat. He better fits the Brewers' most glaring need at SS too.

For the life of me, I can't understand people's infatuation with Ryan McMahon. He's slashing .189/.265/.324 away from Coors this season. Know who that sounds like? Joey Ortiz Not to mention he's owed $16M/year for two more years yet. That would make him the second highest paid player on the Brewers for the next two seasons. For a team that tried to unload Hoskins's similarly priced contract all offseason, you think they're gonna take on $32M for a 84 OPS+ hitter? Yikes And before anyone suggests giving up MORE prospects for MEHcMahon in order for the Rox to eat part of that salary, I'd remind you that Colorado already looked foolish with how they handled the Arenado trade. I don't think any team is going to persuade them to eat say, $20M for some back end of the top 30 prospects. Do not let this happen

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic Transactions: Milwaukee Brewers designated LF Drew Avans for assignment. Milwaukee Brewers activated CF Blake Perkins from the 60-day injured list. Milwaukee Brewers activated LHP Aaron Ashby from the paternity list. Milwaukee Brewers optioned RHP Easton McGee to Nashville Sounds. Milwaukee Brewers optioned CF Blake Perkins to Nashville Sounds. Game Action: DSL Brewers Gold 6, DSL Orioles Orange 3 Box Score In the lone victory for the organization on Monday, the Brewers Gold defeated the Orioles Orange 6-3. The Brewers got two short shutdown pitching performances from 17 year-old Daniel Garcia and 18 year-old Derlin Garcia to start the game. Daniel worked two innings allowing just one walk, and Derlin worked 2.1 innings with a two hits and a walk allowed. Both Garcias recorded one strike out. Derlin has now thrown 5.1 scoreless innings to start his career in the Dominican Summer League. On offense, top signee Kenny Fenelon would open the scoring with a two run single in the top of the third. After the Orioles knotted the game at two in the fifth, the Brewers immediately responded with three runs in the sixth. Juan Martinez delivered the big blow with a two-run triple, and then later came around to score on a sac fly to make it 5-3 Brewers. The final run of the game came on a Jonathan Rangel RBI single in the eighth. Fenelon notched his first multi-hit game since June 30 with two singles. He also was caught stealing for the eighth time, which leads the DSL. Other top signee Cristoper Acosta was on base twice, scored twice, and stole two bases as well. Cristian Montilla also had a two-hit game with a double and a single. DSL Padres Gold 10. DSL Brewers Blue 7 Box Score The Brewers jumped on Padres in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three runs to grab a short-lived lead. Moises Polanco walked, stole second, and scored on Yoneiker Lugo’s single to break the seal on scoring. Jefer Lista followed with a triple and then scored on Leonard Rijo’s single to make it 3-0. Unfortunately the lead would not last long as Brewers starter Lonell Downs once again went off the rails in a second consecutive start after allowing five runs in three innings last Monday. In the second inning, the Padres batted around – or maybe more appropriately walked around – as they scored seven runs on just two hits in the inning. The Padres were benefactors of four walks, two HBP, a balk, and an error in the inning. Downs was removed after 1.1IP and 6ER allowed on just one hit. The Brewers would respond with a solo tally in the second inning after two walks and a wild pitch brought a run home to make it 7-4. The Padres would extend the lead to 10-4 before the Brewers scored three times in their final at-bat. Polanco had the big hit in the 9th with a two-run double. The Brewers plated their final run on a wild pitch. ACL Dodgers 9, ACL Brewers 2 Box Score It was a rough day for the ACL Brewers in the desert on Monday, as they were hammered by the Dodgers by a score of 9-2. The Brewers offense managed just two hits – a triple by rehabbing Josh Adamczewski and the fifth homer of the season from Kevin Garcia. Adamczewski is now slashing .370/.471/.556 on his rehab assignment that started on July 1, so one would expect we’d see him back home in Carolina just about any day now. Brewers starter Hayden Robinson once again struggled, as the 20 year-old managed 2IP, 7H, 6R, 3BB, and 1K in this outing. On the season, Robinson has as many walks (10) as innings pitched, with 12 hits and nine runs allowed. Jose Meneses struck out four in his two innings, with the only blemish being a solo homer allowed. Gabriel Colemenarez finished the game by working the final four innings and allowing only two runs despite a combined seven walks and hits allowed. Both Brewers DSL squads and the Brewers ACL club will be in action tomorrow, as the only games being played while the full-season leagues take a few days off for the all-star break. Elsewhere around the minor league affiliates: The Mudcats had a tough week hosting Fredericksburg, dropping three of five to see their lead over the Nationals’ affiliate narrow to just half a game in the second half standings. All five games in the series were decided by two runs or less, with each team scoring a win in their final at-bat in the series. Speaking of which, did you see 2024 first round pick Braylon Payne’s walk-off three-run bomb? I love the way Payne plays with such panache and showmanship. Payne is slashing an absurd .433/.564/1.364 with three homers and three steals through eight games in July. After a brutal May and a tough June, it’s good to see Payne back on track. For his efforts from last week, Payne was named the Carolina League’s player of the week. After the all-star break, the Mudcats get back in action at last place Delmarva this weekend. In Appleton, the Timber Rattlers endured another tough week as they lost five of six games to South Bend, including two losses by nine runs. The Timber Rattlers now sit in the Midwest League’s cellar with a 6-15 second half record. Last year’s 34th overall pick Blake Burke continues to swing a hot stick. Burke collected seven more hits last week, including three doubles. Jadher Areimano was right there with Blake, as he also tallied seven hits including his ninth homer of the year on this vicious uppercut: Shoutout to 22 year-old catcher Blayberg Diaz, who also collected seven hits for the Rattlers this week and has now hit safely in six consecutive games. On the mound, Tanner Gillis continued to look good after missing all of June. The 24 year-old righty struck out four batters in his three scoreless inning start last week. Ryan Birchard struck out seven in 4.1IP last week, but also walked five which led to three runs (one earned) being scored despite only one hit allowed in his start. The weekly Rattlers pod went around the horn to check in on all the Brewers affiliates. Check it out here: Wisconsin has their work cut out for them, facing two of the Midwest League’s best teams as they travel to Cedar Rapids this weekend and then to Quad Cities the following week. At the AA level, the Shuckers lost all six games to Birmingham last week and now have lost seven games in a row to fall to last place in the Southern League South. As a team last week, the Shuckers combined for a putrid .179/.288/.260 slash line against the Southern League’s top team in ERA, WHIP, and average allowed. There were not a lot of offensive highlights for Biloxi last week, and some of that is to be expected after losing the league’s top two sluggers to injury in June. On the run prevention side, Tate Kuehner had another solid outing with a line of 6IP (a career high), 2R, 0ER, 1BB, and 4K. Here’s a couple of whiffs from his last start: Brett Wichrowski also notched a career high in innings pitched for a game with his 6.1IP outing last week and is now sporting a tidy 2.41 ERA through 52.1IP this season. With 29 career starts at AA, Wichrowski could be looking for a late season promotion, should some space open up in Nashville. The Shuckers will look to get back on track this week when they head to Montgomery to take on the Biscuits after the break. Finally, the Sounds split the six games series at Durham last week, though two of Nashville’s wins were by double digits and all three loses were just one-run games. Eight Nashville players hit homers last week, including multi-homer weeks from Drew Avans, Tyler Black, Daz Cameron, Jared Oliva, and Jeferson Quero. Cameron’s blast was a grand slam: Quero’s homer was his first at the AAA level after missing all of 2024: On the bump, Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick each notched quality starts last week. Henderson was superb in six innings with seven strikeouts, no walks and just two hits (one solo homer) allowed. Patrick, in his first start back at AAA, worked six innings and also struck out seven, while allowing two runs, which also came on a homerun. Both pitchers will look to stay ready for a second half call-up barring an injury or trade. Nashville will resume play Friday with three games against West Division leaders Indianapolis. View full article

I've never tracked the minor leagues as closely as I have this year, so I could be way off, but I feel there's a few imminent promotions. The problem is the logjam between levels. I think you can make a case for Pena and Made to move up from Carolina but they need room in Appleton. Areinamo and Burke could be good candidates to promote out of Appleton, but Biloxi has Pratt blocking Areinamo and Adams and Wilken were blocking Burke prior to their injuries. Had Wilken stayed healthy, I think he woulda taken Seigler's spot in Nashville..Eventually they will push these guys thru, but something has to give. On the pitching front, we've already seen quite a few promos recently: Crow, Hardin, Dorchies, Dubanewicz to name a few...

Here's an in-game interview with Thompson from MLB Pipeline's IG Page

Image courtesy of © Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images With the 94th pick of the 2025 MLB Draft, the Brewers selected Jacob Morrison, a RHP out of Coastal Carolina. Morrison was ranked as the 187th overall prospect by Baseball America and 173rd by MLB.com. At 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Morrison is one of the most physically imposing pitchers in the 2025 college draft class. After flashing mid-90s velocity as a freshman at Coastal Carolina in 2023, he missed the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Morrison returned in 2025 with a standout campaign, earning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year honors and helping lead the Chanticleers to the College World Series finals. Morrison posted a 2.42 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 23 walks over 107.2 innings. Morrison’s fastball ranges from 91–95 mph, sitting 93 while touching 96, and plays better than the radar gun suggests due to excellent carry at the top of the zone and steep downhill plane from his exceptionally high release point. He generates elite strike and chase rates with the pitch, despite not being a true power arm. His primary secondary is a mid-80s slider, which has solid depth and is his most reliable swing-and-miss pitch. He also throws a 12-to-6 curveball in the mid-70s, though he struggles to land both breakers for strikes consistently. His low-80s changeup has some fade, but he tends to leave it in hittable spots. Morrison’s delivery is upright and not especially fluid, but he creates strong extension and repeats it well enough to throw consistent strikes. He’s more control than command at present, but he walked just 5.4% of batters in 2025. Morrison shows the potential for at least average command, with possible growth to plus. Despite being slightly older for his class—he’ll turn 22 shortly after the draft—Morrison is still a bit raw and has less mileage than many peers due to his missed season. His size, durability, and arsenal give him a clear starter profile, with room to grow. View full article

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images With the 68th pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected LHP Frank Cairone out of Delsea Reg HS (NJ). Cairone was ranked number 107 on our draft board, number 96 on Baseball America, and was not ranked in MLB.com's top 250. Like comp pick Brady Ebel, Cairone is just 17 years old and one of the younger players in the draft. Here is what Jamie Cameron gave as a scouting report on Cairone prior to the draft: Frank Cairone is a cold-weather left-handed prep arm out of Jersey, who still isn't getting the love he deserves on boards two weeks out from the draft. It's a physical frame at 6 '2, 200 pounds who will be 17 on draft day and one of the youngest prospects in the class. Cairone took a significant velocity pop in 2025, and his fastball will now sit 91-93 mph and touch 94 mph. He pairs it with a sweeping breaker that, while not yet refined, demonstrates the type of spin traits many organizations will covet. Cairone is a Coastal Carolina commit who is a bit under-ranked, considering the developmental step forward he took in 2025 and the outstanding spin traits he demonstrates. Cairone pitches exclusively from the stretch and has some effort in the delivery. Still, the Brewers have refined similarly unpolished deliveries in the past (Freddy Peralta and Corbin Burnes had mechanical questions). Cairone checks several boxes for the Brewers: elite spin, projectable frame, rising velocity, and youth. View full article

Image courtesy of © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images With the 59th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Vanderbilt LHP JD Thompson. Thompson was ranked 62nd on our draft board, 61st by Baseball America and 66th by MLB.com. Thompson emerged as one of the better college southpaws in the 2025 draft class. Once known for his pitchability as a Texas high schooler, he lacked the physicality and raw stuff to attract pro interest out of high school and instead honored his commitment to Vanderbilt. Three years later, he’s proven himself as the Commodores’ Friday-night starter. Here's a quick glance at Thompson: Here's what Jamie Cameron gave as a scouting report prior to the draft: JD Thompson is yet another name in a deep and diverse array of college left-handed pitchers in the 2025 class. In terms of frame, it's more compact. Thompson stands at 6'0, 185 pounds with good strength and power in his lower half. While Thompson doesn't have a high octane fastball, it's a whiff monster thanks to 18 inches of carry from a lower arm slot. The pitch typically sits in the 91-93 mph range, though he can crank it up to 95 mph. He commands the pitch too, helping it be relatively dominant for the level. His best secondary is his slider. It sits in the 78-81 mph range with good horizontal movement and ties up left-handed hitters frequently. There's also a curveball and changeup in the mix, too. The changeup, in particular, has flashed above average with some fade and tumble. All of this comes from a delivery that is relatively smooth and repeatable. Thompson has consistently posted in 2025. Through 90 IP, he has a 3.34 FIP striking out 32.1% of hitters and walking 7.9% against some of the strongest competition in the country. He's set himself up as a day one name in July. Thompson’s low-effort, repeatable delivery and strike-throwing ability give him a high floor as a potential back-end starter, with room to grow if his fastball effectiveness and breaking ball consistency continue to develop. The Brewers have developed a reputation for maximizing the value of non-flashy arms and Thompson certainly fits the mold. His high IVB fastball, consistent strike-throwing, and advanced feel for sequencing play right into the Brewers’ emphasis on pitch shape and tunneling. View full article