Brewers, Yonny Hernández Agree To Minor League Deal

The Brewers and infielder Yonny Hernández are in agreement on a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, reports Robert Murray of FanSided.

Hernández, 26 in May, spent the 2023 season with the Dodgers but was mostly kept in the minors, only getting into 14 major league contests. In 93 games at the Triple-A level, he hit .252/.395/.342. He walked in 18.4% of his plate appearances and struck out just 19.9% of the time but hit just four home runs, with his overall production translating into a wRC+ of 93. He also stole 17 bases but was caught 12 times. Defensively, he lined up at shortstop, second base and third base.

The Dodgers outrighted Hernández off their 40-man roster in September and he was able to elect free agency at season’s end, allowing him to sign this deal with the Brewers. He will likely serve a similar contact-hitting depth role with his new club. He has generally had strong walk rates and low strikeout rates throughout his time in the minors but his four homers this year brought his career minor league tally to just nine.

The Milwaukee infield has plenty of question marks right now. Shortstop Willy Adames is the most surefire everyday player, but he is a speculative trade candidate since he’s going into his final arbitration season and has a projected salary of $12.4MM, with that figure courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. First baseman Rowdy Tellez is a non-tender candidate after a rough 2023 season. Players like Brice Turang, Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller and Jahmai Jones all produced subpar offense in the majors this past season.

The club has been actively trying to improve the depth lately, having claimed Vinny Capra off waivers from the Pirates, acquiring Oliver Dunn from the Phillies and now bringing Hernández aboard in a non-roster capacity. If Hernández is selected to the roster next year, he still has an option remaining and less than a year of service time.