Brewers Designate Greg Jones For Assignment
The Brewers announced that both outfielder Jackson Chourio and first baseman Andrew Vaughn have been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. In corresponding moves, outfielder Blake Perkins has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville and infielder/outfielder Greg Jones has been designated for assignment.
The returns of Chourio and Vaughn should provide a sizable boost to a Brewers lineup that has relied heavily on complementary pieces in recent weeks. Milwaukee has a pair of 13-run outbursts in its past 11 games but has also been held to four or fewer runs seven times in that span. Much of the recent uptick in offense came against a D-backs staff that’s been struggling enormously over the past few weeks.
Chourio, 22, has missed the whole seasons thus far after suffering a fractured hand during exhibition play this spring. He went 1-for-9 with three walks in a brief three-game minor league rehab stint. The Brewers are hoping that the dynamic outfielder can recreate something close to — ideally better than — his career .272/.316/.463 slash (115 wRC+) with only minimal rehab work.
Similarly, Vaughn notched only one hit in three rehab games before his reinstatement. The former No. 3 overall pick enjoyed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent memory last year after going from Chicago to Milwaukee in a trade. Vaughn arrived in the Brewers organization with a career .248/.303/.407 batting line but erupted with a .308/.375/.493 batting line in 64 games down the stretch. He belted nine homers in 254 trips to the plate — then tacked on another two postseason taters in 30 plate appearances. Vaughn posted an outrageous .367/.436/.612 line in 55 spring plate appearances before incurring a hamate fracture that required surgery.
Jones went 2-for-21 in his brief time with the Brewers. He drew one walk, stole a base and struck out nine times in 22 plate appearances (40.9%). The 2019 first-rounder (Rays) only had 30 big league plate appearances to his credit. He’s spent parts of four seasons in Triple-A, where he’s a .262/.344/.438 hitter. Jones was drafted as a shortstop but has worked primarily as an outfielder in recent seasons. He has top-of-the-scale speed but marginal power and a bottom-of-the-scale hit tool that’s regularly produced strikeout rates north of 33% in Triple-A.
The Brewers will have five days to trade Jones, release him or place him on outright waivers. Outright waivers would be another 48-hour process, meaning Jones’ DFA will be resolved within a week’s time. He doesn’t have three years of major league service and has never cleared waivers before, so if he goes unclaimed this time around, he’ll be assigned outright to Nashville. He’d no longer count against the 40-man roster but would remain in the organization.
Brewers Notes: Chourio, Vaughn, Misiorowski, Henderson
Jackson Chourio‘s 2026 debut may be delayed by at least a few more days, as the outfielder fouled a ball off his left ankle during a Triple-A rehab game on Saturday. “We got an X-ray on it right away and thank God it’s negative,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak and other reporters, though “we’ve got to see how he progresses. Today’s going to be a critical day.”
It isn’t uncommon to see players placed on the injured list in these instances, as even if a foul ball may not fracture or break anything, there can often be lingering soreness for days afterwards. Given Chourio’s importance to the Brewers, the team isn’t likely to rush anything in terms of his return, even if that means Chourio spends more time in Triple-A or his official rehab period is halted entirely.
Chourio knows all too well how a seemingly innocuous injury can linger, as x-rays were also negative on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch during a World Baseball Classic exhibition on March 4. The outfielder went onto play in the WBC and for the Brewers during the rest of Spring Training, but some additional soreness led to a check-up MRI just prior to Opening Day, and a new diagnosis of a minor hairline fracture.
As such, Chourio has yet to see any big league action this year, and he was already beyond the initial recovery timeline of 2-to-4 weeks. Monday was expected to be his activation date from the 10-day IL, before that errant foul ball delivered another setback.
It isn’t all bad news for the start of tomorrow’s series with the Cardinals, however, as Andrew Vaughn is expected to be activated from the 10-day IL. Vaughn’s 2026 campaign consists of just one game, as he sustained a hamate bone injury on Opening Day that required surgery. His recovery process hasn’t hit any snags, so he’ll return within the usual 4-to-6 week timeline associated to hamate surgeries.
After being dealt from the White Sox to the Brewers last June, Vaughn’s bat came to life, as he hit .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs in 254 plate appearances with his new club. Jake Bauers has done decently well while getting most of the first base playing time in Vaughn’s absence, but naturally Milwaukee’s lineup will benefit from getting closer to full strength.
It also looks like Jacob Misiorowski may have dodged a bullet after leaving his last start due to a hamstring cramp. Misiorowski came out a running drill yesterday feeling fine, but Murphy cautioned that the Brew Crew won’t be fully comfortable with the right-hander’s status until he throws without any discomfort. If all goes well, Misiorowski should line up to make his next start on Wednesday in St. Louis.
Brandon Woodruff‘s placement on the 15-day IL on Friday already left Milwaukee’s rotation even more short-handed, as Quinn Priester has yet to pitch this season due to a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder. The Brewers turned to Logan Henderson for the spot start today in Woodruff’s place, and Henderson delivered a quality start in the 3-2 loss to the Nationals. Henderson allowed two runs on three hits over six innings of work, while recording eight strikeouts and zero walks.
Henderson’s young career has been plagued by injuries to date, and he has logged only 302 1/3 pro innings (269 in the minors, 33 1/3 in the majors) since he was a fourth-round pick for Milwaukee in the 2021 draft. The right-hander made his MLB debut last season in the form of 25 1/3 innings, but his rookie year was cut short by elbow inflammation in early August. While the Brewers will continue to be careful with Henderson’s innings, today’s start might well earn him more looks in the big league rotation.
Brewers To Recall Jeferson Quero For MLB Debut, Place Andrew Vaughn On IL
2:06pm: Vaughn has been diagnosed with a fractured hand and will miss four to six weeks due to the injury, as relayed by McCalvy. He figures to undergo hamate surgery in the coming days.
11:16am: The Brewers are set to recall catching prospect Jeferson Quero for his MLB debut, per Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. A corresponding active roster move has not been announced, though MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports that first baseman Andrew Vaughn is headed for the injured list due to a hand injury.
Quero, 23, was signed out of Venezuela by the Brewers as an international amateur and made his pro debut in the Arizona Complex League back in 2021. Since then, he’s climbed the minor league ladder fairly steadily but enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 that put him on the map as a prospect to watch. That year, he hit a very impressive .262/.339/.440 across 90 games at the Double-A level as a 20 year old while showing the ability to handle the catcher position. That was enough to make him a consensus top-40 prospect in the sport.
Since then, Quero’s star has lost some of its shine thanks to injuries. He played in just one game during the 2024 season due to a significant shoulder injury that wound up requiring surgery. He returned to the field of play last year, but a hamstring injury helped limit him to just 68 games, only 59 of which were at the Triple-A level. In the 250 plate appearances he did receive at Triple-A, the then-22-year-old Quero hit just .255/.336/.412. His 10.0% walk rate and 14.0% strikeout rate show solid plate discipline and contact ability, but he didn’t hit for much power to speak of with just 21 extra-base hits and six homers in that time. That 101 wRC+ showing, in conjunction with injury woes and questions about his arm strength following shoulder surgery, was enough to knock Quero off most top-100 prospect lists this offseason.
Still, it’s fair to remember that Quero hasn’t really struggled much at the plate throughout his minor league career to this point and has shown the skills necessary to be a quality catcher. It would surprise no one if he becomes an impressive partner to William Contreras in the Milwaukee catching tandem in the fairly near future. With that being said, that end goal appears relatively far off given the presence of Gary Sanchez on the club’s 40-man roster. He serves as Contreras’s primary backup and, as a veteran who has been a roughly league average offensive player for several years now, he should have a considerable leash in that role.
For now, however, the Brewers are going with a three-catcher roster due to Vaughn’s injury. Though only a league average hitter for his career, Vaughn slashed a sensational .308/.375/.493 in 63 games with Milwaukee last year after being acquired from the White Sox midway through the year. That showing was enough for the Brewers to hand Vaughn the keys to the first base job, but after he left yesterday’s game due to a hand injury he’s evidently now ticketed for a trip to the shelf. It’s unclear just how long Vaughn will be out of commission at this point, and while he’s gone adding Quero to the roster should free Sanchez up for some starts at first base. Quero, as another right-handed hitter, also keeps a righty bat in the club’s bench mix.
Of course, Sanchez isn’t likely to be the only one in the first base mix while Vaughn is out. Switch-hitting Luis Rengifo could see some time there, creating an opportunity to get more playing time as he shares third base with David Hamilton. Another option would be to get lefty-swinging outfielder Jake Bauers in at first base, which would then open the door for one of Rengifo, switch-hitter Blake Perkins, or righty hitter Brandon Lockridge in the outfield mix. Bauers is the most experienced first baseman on the roster at this point, with over 2000 innings at the position in the majors throughout his career.
The Brewers’ First Base Possibilities
The Brewers have struggled to find competent first base play for the entirety of this decade. Not since Prince Fielder in the early 2010s has the club had a standout contributor at the position for more than a season. Milwaukee’s regular first baseman (by games played) hasn’t exceeded 1.0 WAR (per Baseball Reference) in a season since Eric Thames in 2019. The team has won the NL Central in four of the last five years, but they’ve shuffled through journeymen and platoon bats at the cold corner during that span.
Andrew Vaughn might be the answer. A mid-June trade from the White Sox seemed to revive the former third overall pick. Vaughn’s underwhelming career hit rock bottom in May, when he was demoted by Chicago after hitting .189 over the first two months of the season. The White Sox dealt him to the Brewers for Aaron Civale, which says a lot about his value at the time.
Rhys Hoskins sprained his thumb in early July, opening the door for a Vaughn promotion. He joined the big-league club and immediately hit the ground running. Vaughn launched a three-run homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his first at-bat with the Brewers. He went on to post a 1.157 OPS in July. After hitting five home runs in 48 games with the White Sox to start the season, Vaughn left the yard five times in his first 15 games with the Brewers.
Vaughn cooled off considerably in August, slashing .250/.320/.375. He managed just six extra-base hits in 29 games. A day off to begin September seemed to do Vaughn some good, as he heated back up to close the season. The 27-year-old hit .368 with a .509 SLG over the last month of the campaign. His performance was enough to bump Hoskins off the NLDS roster. Vaughn had a solid series against the Cubs, popping two homers and driving in four runs. He then went 0-for-12 in a four-game NLCS sweep by the Dodgers.
Despite the hitless series against the L.A., Vaughn heads into 2026 as the top candidate to hold down first base for the Brewers. The club didn’t pick up its end of the mutual option with Hoskins, so Vaughn and Jake Bauers are the only primary first basemen on the roster. Catcher William Contreras and utilityman Andruw Monasterio also have a bit of experience at the position. It seems like Vaughn’s job to lose, but he’s got a lengthy MLB track record of mediocrity. Here’s how first base could play out for Milwaukee in 2026…
Vaughn runs away with the job
The reason behind Vaughn’s takeoff in Milwaukee could be as simple as a change of scenery for a former top pick on a struggling team. However, he did make some clear improvements this past season. He’d always hit the ball hard (46.6% career hard-hit rate), it just hadn’t translated into much production. The guy getting 60 raw power grades as Chicago’s top prospect never hit more than 21 home runs with the club.
Milwaukee was able to get Vaughn to turn his hard contact into better results in multiple ways. The young slugger posted career bests in line drive rate (25.2%), pull rate (37.5%), and pulled air rate (18%) this past season. Those marks are still right around league average, but they’re a solid improvement on Vaughn’s previous work. He also ranked in the 85th percentile in launch angle sweet spot rate and in the 92nd percentile in squared-up rate.
It wasn’t just the batted balls, either. Vaughn took significant steps forward in terms of plate discipline with Milwaukee. After striking out a career-worst 22.3% of the time with Chicago to open the year, he cut that number to 14.6% with the Brewers. He also pushed his walk rate up to 9.4%. Vaughn hasn’t had a walk rate above 7% since his rookie season in 2021.
There’s a chance July and September were the “new” Vaughn, and he’s just going to be a high-.800s OPS bat for the duration of his prime. The pedigree was evident, considering his legendary college career and the draft capital invested in acquiring him. It just took five years and a new home to make good on it.
Vaughn regresses, but the lineup makes up for it
Milwaukee’s offense took a unique shape in 2025. The club didn’t have a regular with an OPS over .800 for the full season, but also had just one everyday player with a mark below .700 (glove-first Joey Ortiz at .593). The result was a team that finished third in scoring behind only the Yankees and Dodgers. Isaac Collins was dealt to Kansas City, but the rest of the group should be back next season. Barring an offseason addition, some combination of Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, and Blake Perkins will fill the void left by Collins in the outfield.
The supportive offensive environment could allow Vaughn to exist in the lineup as a moderately productive piece. That’s basically what he was in Chicago. He never had a truly standout season, but his worst year with the team still resulted in a 93 wRC+. At the very least, he could form a strong platoon with Bauers at first base. Vaughn has always hit lefties, even in his White Sox days. He has a career .787 OPS against southpaws, compared to .702 versus righties.
This outcome hasn’t hindered Milwaukee in the past, as they’ve gotten by with decent contributions from the likes of Hoskins, Rowdy Tellez, and Daniel Vogelbach. Vaughn is set to hit free agency after the 2027 season. Milwaukee could ride this out at a reasonable price and let him walk when the time comes. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Vaughn to make $7.8MM in arbitration this year.
Tyler Black, come on down
Vaughn was unplayable as recently as May of this past season. Those struggles briefly returned in August with the Brewers. A player getting a jolt after going from the cellar to a competitive club, then reverting to previous form, certainly wouldn’t be an unheard-of outcome.
A Vaughn flameout would likely lead to a renewed opportunity for Black. The 25-year-old has put together solid results in the minors, but has only made 23 appearances in the majors. Black struggled in his brief 2024 debut, then only played a handful of games with the Brewers this past season.
There are questions about Black’s ability to consistently make contact at the highest level. He also might not be a long-term defensive fit at first base (or anywhere else). It just seems like Milwaukee needs to exhaust Black as a possibility before it’s too late. He’s down to one minor league option. He’s already in his mid-20s. MLB.com had Black ranked fourth among the Brewers prospects as recently as 2024. He had a 117 wRC+ at Triple-A that year. He’s shown enough to get an extended look in the big leagues.
If it’s not Black waiting in the wings, maybe it’s Luke Adams? The 21-year-old reached Double-A by the end of last season. He put up a stellar 157 wRC+ across three minor league levels in 2025. Adams kept it rolling in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 1.039 OPS in 16 games. MLB.com has Adams at No. 8 in Milwaukee’s prospect rankings heading into next season. He could be next up if Vaughn falters and Black doesn’t get the nod.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
Brewers Notes: NLDS, Chourio, Hoskins
The Brewers couldn’t capitalize on their first chance to close out the Cubs, as they dropped a 4-3 contest at Wrigley Field this evening. Chicago put up a four spot against Quinn Priester in the first inning, building a 4-1 cushion from which the Milwaukee bats couldn’t recover.
Priester didn’t make it out of the first. Manager Pat Murphy used five pitchers — Nick Mears, Jose Quintana, Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig and Chad Patrick — to combine for 7 1/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. The damage had been done, however, and the Brewers will need to try to close things out again tomorrow.
Neither Milwaukee nor the Cubs have announced a starter for tomorrow’s game, though ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that Chicago will give the ball back to Matthew Boyd. The Brewers pummeled Boyd for six runs in the first inning in Game 1 and cruised to a victory behind Freddy Peralta. Milwaukee could turn back to Peralta on four days rest for the same matchup, though Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that they’ve worked to provide their starters with an extra rest day when possible during the season.
Saving Peralta for a potential Game 5 on Saturday would probably mean the Brewers go back to a bullpen game, which they did in Game 2. Aaron Ashby opened that contest and surrendered a three-run homer to Seiya Suzuki, but the Brewers blanked the Cubs from then on and won 7-3. Running a bullpen game one day after their starter failed to escape the first inning isn’t ideal, but Murphy mostly relied on lower-leverage arms tonight. The Brewers stayed away from Ashby, Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill entirely. Koenig only threw seven pitches and is surely still in the mix for tomorrow.
On the position player side, Jackson Chourio played the full eight innings in left field tonight. He went 1-4 with a strikeout. Chourio has battled a nagging right hamstring injury and made early exits in favor of defensive substitute Brandon Lockridge in Games 1 and 2. Those were mostly precautionary absences with Milwaukee holding decent leads.
Meanwhile, Rhys Hoskins is watching the NLDS from the dugout, a difficult outcome for a player who had a solid season. Even though he didn’t make the postseason roster, Hoskins has remained involved as a teammate. “You got to play the hand that you’re dealt and try to help these guys accomplish the goal we set out to do,” the first baseman told Hogg in a separate column at the Journal Sentinel.
With Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers handling first base duties, the Brewers opted for Lockridge to add a speed element and provide cover for Chourio with their final roster spot. While Hoskins admitted to being frustrated, he accepted the role of supportive teammate after Murphy pushed to keep him in the mix. “He’s a great voice for these young players,” Murphy told Hogg. “He’s also well-respected and being genuine really adds to our whole unit.”
The NLDS exclusion wasn’t the first time Hoskins was pushed aside this season. After the veteran went down with a thumb injury in early July, Vaughn emerged as a key cog in the middle of Milwaukee’s lineup. Hoskins was limited to bench duties once he rejoined the team in September. The lefty-hitting Bauers provides more balance in a platoon with the right-handed Vaughn.
Hoskins was hitting .242/.340/.428 across 318 plate appearances when he suffered the injury. That opened the door for Vaughn, who cemented himself in the lineup with a monster performance as soon as he was recalled from Triple-A. Hoskins was limited to pinch-hitting when he returned, going 1-10 in eight games.
There’s a decent chance he’s made his final appearance with the Brewers. The team will buy him out for $4MM in lieu of an $18MM mutual option. He’ll be a free agent and almost certainly will head to a team that has more at-bats available at first base. Milwaukee could still swap Hoskins onto the roster for future playoff rounds should they advance, but they’re already carrying 14 position players. While Lockridge would probably be the player they might swap out, they’ll be reluctant to subtract outfield depth while Chourio is at less than full strength.
Rhys Hoskins Expects To Be Out Roughly Six Weeks
Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins is targeting a six-week return from his thumb injury, the slugger himself told the team’s beat this afternoon (video link via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Hoskins has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and a bone bruise as well.
Hoskins will be in a splint for the next couple weeks before beginning strength exercises and eventually resuming baseball activity. He noted that some doctors have told him four weeks and others have suggested an absence of eight weeks. He’s targeting the midpoint, which would place him back in the lineup mid-August.
Hoskins originally sustained the injury three days ago when applying a lunging tag to Marlins infielder Eric Wagaman on a play at first base (video link). He immediately took off his mitt and was checked out by the training staff. Jake Bauers replaced him at first base the next inning. Andrew Vaughn has since been recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take Hoskins’ spot on the roster. The former White Sox slugger ripped a three-run homer in his first at-bat after replacing Hoskins on the roster.
The 32-year-old Hoskins has enjoyed a more productive second season in Milwaukee than he did in his first season last year. The longtime Phillies slugger is batting .242/.340/.428 (115 wRC+) with a dozen homers and doubles apiece. He’s upped his walk rate from 10.3% to 11.9% and cut his strikeout rate from 28.8% to 26.7%. Hoskins turned in big performances in April and May before slumping for much of June. He looked to be getting back on track at the plate, with a .237/.354/.526 performance in 12 games leading up to his injury.
It’s at least plausible that Milwaukee will consider bringing in another bat to help patch things over, although they’ll surely take a look at the Bauers/Vaughn tandem before making any larger changes. Vaughn hit well in 16 games with the Brewers’ Triple-A Nashville club before being summoned to take Hoskins’ spot on the roster, and Bauers has at least drawn walks at a gaudy 15.3% clip against right-handed pitching this season, resulting in a .328 OBP in those matchups. The righty-swinging Vaughn and lefty-hitting Bauers could patch things over in a short-term platoon arrangement — particularly if Hoskins can return on the quicker side of the timetables presented to him.
That said, the Milwaukee bench isn’t exactly a strong point, currently including Vaughn, backup catcher Eric Haase, third baseman Andruw Monasterio (career .241/.321/.327) and 26-year-old rookie catcher/infielder Anthony Seigler (a minor league free agent signee who is 1-for-8 to begin his MLB career). Prospect Tyler Black might’ve been an option, but he’s hitting .129/.260/.177 in 73 Triple-A plate appearances since returning from a broken hamate. Adding a multi-position bat that can handle first base (among other spots on the diamond) and also offer some more offense from Pat Murphy’s bench arguably makes good sense regardless of Hoskins’ timetable.
Rhys Hoskins Suffers Grade 2 Thumb Sprain, Headed To IL
7:06PM: The Brewers will indeed call up Vaughn once Hoskins is placed on the IL, according to reporter Francys Romero.
3:34PM: Rhys Hoskins left the Brewers’ 3-1 win over the Marlins on Saturday due to a left thumb injury, and now faces a lengthy stint on the injured list. Initial x-rays were negative on Hoskins’ thumb, but Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the first baseman underwent an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 thumb sprain. Hoskins will be placed on the 10-day IL prior to the Brewers’ game with the Dodgers on Monday.
The injury occurred on a tag play at first base, as Hoskins had to lunge at a wide throw and tag out Miami’s Eric Wagaman. Hoskins showed immediate discomfort in the aftermath. Hoskins was able to finish the inning, but Jake Bauers took over as a pinch-hitter and then at first base for the remainder of the game.
The Grade 2 designation indicates a more severe variety of sprain, so chances are Hoskins will be out of action for at least a month. We’ll likely learn more specifics about a recovery timeline soon, and the exact timing could very well factor into the Brewers’ plans for the July 31st trade deadline.
If Hoskins is going to be sidelined for well into August or beyond, Milwaukee could consider adding a bat to help out at first base. Should Hoskins be projected for a return in early August, the club could stand pat with in-house options. Bauers is the obvious candidate, and Andrew Vaughn (acquired in a trade with the White Sox in mid-June) will probably be called up from Triple-A to team up with Bauers in a lefty/righty first base platoon. Utilityman Andruw Monasterio and even Sal Frelick (who has all of one career inning as a first baseman) could potentially chip in at the cold corner if necessary.
It should be noted that the thumb sprain also likely removes any chance that Hoskins himself could be traded at the deadline. Though the Brewers are competing for a playoff berth, Hoskins is an impending free agent who still has roughly $8.25MM of his $18MM salary for 2025 left to be paid out. (He is also owed a $4MM buyout on an $18MM mutual option for 2026 that will surely be bought out.) This price tag probably would’ve made it difficult for the Brewers to find a trade partner anyway, but the Vaughn trade created some speculation that Milwaukee might try to shed Hoskins’ salary at the deadline in order to address other needs for their postseason push. With payroll space at a premium, the Milwaukee front office has often tried to both buy and sell at the deadline regardless of the club’s position in the standings, with the 2022 deadline trade of Josh Hader standing out as the prime example of the Brewers’ flexibility.
Hoskins is hitting .242/.340/.428 with 12 homers, good for a 115 wRC+ over his 318 plate appearances. In what seemed like an echo of his 2024 season in Milwaukee, Hoskins also got off to a big start this year before drastically cooling off. The first baseman had an .892 OPS over his first 187 PA of the season and then just a .436 OPS in his following 83 PA, though Hoskins had started swinging the bat a lot better over the last couple of weeks.
Looking ahead to Hoskins’ free agency, an extended injury absence won’t help his chances of landing a multi-year contract. It was already going to be a bit of an uphill battle for Hoskins as a first base-only player entering his age-33 season, and it remains to be seen how his market might develop this winter. More immediately, of course, Hoskins is just focused on getting healthy and returning to help the Brewers both reach and succeed in the playoffs.
MLBTR Podcast: Reacting To The Devers Trade And Aaron Civale
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The shocking trade sending Rafael Devers from the Red Sox to the Giants (1:15)
- The Red Sox drama that led to the trade (4:25)
- The constant shuffling of deck chairs with the Red Sox over the past decade (7:40)
- The pieces the Red Sox got in return: Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and James Tibbs (20:00)
- The fit with Devers and the Giants (recorded before the news of Devers getting work at first base) (30:55)
- Aaron Civale asking the Brewers for a trade and getting flipped to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn (45:20)
Check out our past episodes!
- White Sox Ownership, Roman Anthony, And The Diamondbacks’ Rotation – listen here
- Jarren Duran Rumors, Caglianone And Young Promoted, And Pitching Injuries – listen here
- Bregman Injured, Marcelo Mayer Called Up, And Pirates Talk – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images
White Sox, Brewers Swap Aaron Civale, Andrew Vaughn
The White Sox acquired right-hander Aaron Civale and cash considerations from Milwaukee for first baseman Andrew Vaughn. The Brewers optioned Vaughn to Triple-A Nashville, while Civale will step directly into Chicago’s rotation. The Brewers are reportedly sending cash to offset the difference in remaining salary between Civale’s $8MM sum and Vaughn’s $5.85MM figure.
It’s a quick turnaround after Civale requested a trade away from Milwaukee on Thursday. Civale’s trade request came on the heels of the club’s decision earlier this week to bump him from the rotation in order to call up top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski. Civale, a free agent after the 2025 campaign who struggled a bit last year but has pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 3.92 FIP in four starts since returning from the injured list last month, evidently wants to hold onto a rotation job to set himself up for success in free agency this winter as much as possible.
The 30-year-old’s wish was promptly granted, as he’s now headed for the White Sox. The South Siders have no real hope of competing for a playoff spot this year, but with a patchwork rotation that features multiple Rule 5 draftees it’s not hard to see Civale as a potentially substantial upgrade for their starting rotation. While a team headed for their second-consecutive 100-loss campaign acquiring a rental starting pitcher in the middle of the season is a rare occurrence, one can see the logic from Chicago’s perspective given that they’ll have the opportunity to flip Civale to a club with postseason aspirations closer to the trade deadline.
The logic is particularly sound for the White Sox given the player they’re giving up in return. Vaughn was the third-overall pick in the 2019 draft and a longtime top 100 prospect, but his major league career has been a disappointment so far. He entered the 2025 season with a career .253/.310/.415 (102 wRC+) slash line at the major league level and has had just one season where he had hit at a clip substantially better than league average. Things took a more pronounced nosedive this year, as he’s slashed just .189/.218/.314 (44 wRC+) across 48 games for the White Sox in 2025. It’s the lowest on-base percentage of any player with at least 120 plate appearances in the majors this year, and his -1.3 fWAR this season is dead last among all hitters who have stepped up to the plate in the majors this season. The Sox optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte a few weeks ago and he has hit .211/.328/.351 in 15 games for the Knights since then.
That’s not a player the White Sox could expect to get a substantial prospect return for this summer, and while Vaughn has one year of control remaining after this one he currently has the look of a clear non-tender candidate. That surely made the opportunity to roll the dice on flipping a veteran starting pitcher a very attractive option for Chicago.
With all that being said, it’s not as though the deal doesn’t make sense for the Brewers. Civale no longer fit in an increasingly deep Brewers rotation mix, and his roster spot is likely better used on other arms more suited for bullpen duty than a veteran starter with zero career relief appearances. What’s more, Vaughn’s underlying numbers paint the picture of a player whose actual performance isn’t all that different from his previous seasons as a league average hitter. While he’s walking at a career-low 3.6% clip, he was never an especially patient hitter. His 22.3% strikeout rate is only a tick higher than last year, and his 13.3% barrel rate this season is actually the best of his career and four points better than last season. Vaughn’s ghastly .217 BABIP should improve with time, and with incumbent first baseman Rhys Hoskins likely ticketed for free agency this winter getting Vaughn on board as a much cheaper possible replacement makes sense.
In the shorter term, Vaughn will serve as minor league depth. The Brewers reportedly view him as a full-time first baseman/DH even though he has experience in the outfield.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Milwaukee was trading Civale to the White Sox. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported that Vaughn was headed back to the Brewers. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported the cash exchange.
White Sox Notes: Cannon, Teel, Quero
The White Sox announced Tuesday that righty Jonathan Cannon has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a lower back strain. Right-hander Caleb Freeman is up from Triple-A Charlotte to take Cannon’s spot on the active roster.
Cannon, 24, was sharp through his first nine trips to the hill this season (3.60 ERA, 18 K%, 7.8 BB% in 50 innings) but has run into a rough patch of late. Over his past trips to the mound, he’s been roughed up for 13 runs on 17 hits and four walks in 13 2/3 innings. Yesterday’s outing against the Tigers was particularly shaky; Cannon surrendered five runs — on the strength of three homers — and walked three batters in just three innings. A recent velocity drop could underscore the fact that he’s been pitching at less than 100 percent; Cannon averaged 93.5 mph on his four-seamer and 93 mph on his sinker through May 18 but has averaged just 91.8 mph and 92 mph, respectively, since.
The South Siders haven’t yet said how long Cannon will be out. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that the Sox have already had imaging performed but have not yet publicly disclosed the results. It’s also not clear who’ll replace Cannon in the rotation. The Sox are currently going with Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Sean Burke and Adrian Houser in an all-righty rotation. Swingman Bryse Wilson is stretched out enough that he tossed five innings yesterday in relief of Cannon, but he’s sitting on a 6.80 ERA this year — including 17 earned runs in his past 14 2/3 innings.
Chicago’s depth chart has thinned out in recent months. Prospects Ky Bush and Drew Thorpe are out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery this spring. Other once-well-regarded prospects like Jairo Iriarte, Nick Nastrini, Owen White and Wikelman González have all struggled in the upper minors. Veteran southpaw Martín Pérez is out until at least September and could miss the rest of the year due to a flexor strain.
Lefties Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith are two of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, but neither has even reached Triple-A yet; Smith only has 25 Double-A frames under his belt. The Sox probably want both to get more development time in before bringing them to the majors — particularly since neither needs to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason in order to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
The South Siders do have a top prospect who’s making a compelling case for a call to the majors sooner than later, but it’s not one of their coveted young arms. Catcher Kyle Teel, the headline prospect in the trade sending Garrett Crochet to Boston, is hitting .289/.394/.491 in Triple-A (131 wRC+). Teel has walked in a massive 14.8% of his plate appearances, fanned at a 26.6% clip that the Sox would surely like to bring down, clubbed eight homers and even swiped seven bags in eight attempts.
A consensus top-50 prospect in the sport, Teel got out to a slow start this season but has only been held hitless four times in 34 games dating back to an April 12 doubleheader where he went 0-for-3 in both halves of that twin bill. In 134 plate appearances since that time, the 2023 first-rounder (No. 14 overall) is batting .331/.428/.532. Strikeouts remain an issue, and Teel’s .378 average on balls in play isn’t sustainable, but it’s hard for him to do much more to clamor for a call to the majors.
The Sox, it seems, are taking notice. Teel tells Scott Merkin of MLB.com that the organization has begun to have him work out at first base. Teel hasn’t played there in a game yet but has been taking grounders at first base the past few days and working with the staff in Charlotte to acclimate himself to a new position.
Chicago recently optioned longtime first baseman Andrew Vaughn to Charlotte. The former No. 3 pick has been a constant in their lineup for four-plus seasons but has never lived up to expectations when he was one of the top prospects in his draft class. Vaughn has been a roughly average offensive performer with poor glovework and baserunning. The Sox are surely hoping he can get on track in Triple-A and salvage some value later this summer, but sending him down and getting Teel some looks at first base signal a clear shift in the team’s plans.
Teel probably isn’t an option to be the Sox’ everyday first baseman moving forward. He’s regarded as a viable defensive catcher who blocks balls in the dirt and throws well. He’s nabbed 33% of would-be base thieves this season. Baseball Prospectus also gives him solid framing marks behind the dish in the minors.
That said, the Sox entered 2025 with two of baseball’s top catching prospects: Teel and former minor league teammate Edgar Quero. It was Quero who received the first call to the majors, and he’s held his own, hitting .248/.336/.301. That’s about 13% worse than league-average overall, per wRC+, but not far off the average line posted by catchers in 2025. Quero has walked in 10.2% of his plate appearances against a 16.4% strikeout rate that’s about six percentage points better than average. He’s also making plenty of hard contact, but too much of it is resulting in grounders rather than line-drives or fly-balls. For a player whose sprint speed ranks in just the seventh percentile of MLB hitters, per Statcast, that’s not a good batted-ball trait.
Quero started quite strong and had a league-average batting line as deep into the season as May 25, so it’s not as if he’s been a lost cause at the plate. He’s in the midst of a dreadful 6-for-38 stretch, but he’d hit well prior to this slump. A cold streak spanning all of two to three weeks isn’t going to change the organization’s long-term view of Quero. The Sox are still hopeful that Quero and Teel can be their catching tandem for the next several years, and Teel getting some reps at first base only makes it easier for the Sox to get both into the lineup — assuming Teel handles the drills at first base reasonably well.