Travis Shaw makes his way back to Brewtown. Robert Murray of The Athletic was first to report Thursday that Shaw has been recalled from the Milwaukee Brewers AAA affiliate, the San Antonio Missions.
#Brewers recalling infielder Travis Shaw, sources tell me and @Ken_Rosenthal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 25, 2019
Travis Shaw Rejoins Brewers
Shaw was sent to AAA to reclaim his title of “The Mayor of Ding-Dong City”, as Brewer loyalists like to call him. Not long after arriving in San Antonio, Shaw began to make a case for himself. Even though the competition in AAA is younger and less experienced, Shaw’s numbers are still eye-opening. In only 28 games he smashed nine home runs. Equally impressive is his approach at the plate. He walked as much as he struck out. His 26 free passes in 119 PAs approximates to once every 4 1/2 times he stood at the plate.
| Year | Age | AgeDif | Tm | G | PA | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 29 | 2.7 | San Antonio | 28 | 119 | 18 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 26 | .286 | .445 | .593 | 1.039 |
Shaw arrives in time for a weekend series against the rival Chicago Cubs. Shaw has not fared well against Cubs pitching in his career, slashing .192/.279/.400 with a .679 OPS. Although, he has had some success against Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs’ expected starter for the opening game of the series. As the chart below shows, lefties Eric Thames and Mike Moustakas have also hit Hendricks, but Shaw has performed the best. Craig Counsell likes to put recent call-ups into game action right away. It will not be surprising if Shaw is in the starting lineup Friday.
Hendricks vs. Shaw, Thames, Moustakas
| Name | PA | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Shaw | 28 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 5 | .280 | .321 | .720 | 1.041 |
| Eric Thames | 25 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | .286 | .400 | .429 | .829 |
| Mike Moustakas | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .444 | .778 |
Jhoulys Chacín is on the 10 day IL, so there is room on the 25 man roster for Shaw. However, this does leave the Brewers one pitcher short of the 13 they like to carry (5 starters and 8 relievers). Right now, the roster stands at 3 starters and 9 relievers. At some point, a pitcher will be needed, and another roster move will have to be made. Given that the Brewers just had an off day Thursday and another one coming up on Monday, the team can get by with 4 starters until the trade deadline passes. A reliever will just have to be demoted for a starter to come up on Tuesday. Thus, it’s possible the Brewers can delay any actions on their position players until after the deadline.
Who’s on First?
Adam McCalvy of MLB.com suggested Thursday that a significant move could be on the horizon. After all, Shaw needs a place to play every day. And there is not a glaring opening anywhere. Hours later, McCalvy tweeted Stearns isn’t answering questions “pending an official transaction”.
For the record, David Stearns declined for now to answer these questions pending an official transaction. So, speculate away!
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 25, 2019
Is a trade in the works? Recently, Jesus Aguilar has been linked to the Tampa Bay Rays in trade rumors. Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
Sources tell me and @juanctoribio that the Rays have expressed interest to the Brewers in Jesus Aguilar. He’s performed better in July (1.080 OPS) than the first three months (.634 OPS), so deal would have to help Milwaukee now for Brewers to move Aguilar.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 24, 2019
Normally, the Brewers like to have a lefty and a righty at each position. If Aguilar were to be traded, the right-handed side of the platoon goes away. Neither Thames or Shaw have fared well against lefties in their careers. Although Thames has been having good luck this year, slashing .259/.382/.407 and .790 OPS. While keeping 2 left-handed first basemen does seem odd at first, the Brewers are not barren of right-handers who can play 1st base. Yasmani Grandal has filled in at first this year and Ryan Braun has played there last year. Saladino has even started 15 games at first with the Missions this year.
It should be noted that Shaw has been playing first in San Antonio, especially recently. Hernán Pérez is also seeing time there. This certainly adds a degree of plausibility that action could be forthcoming on one of our first basemen in the days ahead. Regardless, Shaw could be with the Crew until next month without a position player being moved. That could be enough time for the “Mayor of Ding-Dong City” to show that he is back in full swing at the major league level.
Main photo:
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