2013 Brewers Bench

[AZBrewCrew]

Based on performance so far this year,once A-Ram comes back, does Gonzalez become the odd man out? At this point I'd rather have the Yunibomber's bat in the game over his,but as long as he isnt playing SS. I think it has the potential to get interesting soon.

[djoctagone]

Bianchi's rehab assignment is over on Friday, so need to bring him up or risk losing him.

bianchi started his rehab assignment on 13 april. can rehab assignments last 30 days, or is that only with pitchers?

[JohnBriggs12]

Bianchi's rehab assignment is over on Friday, so need to bring him up or risk losing him.

bianchi started his rehab assignment on 13 april. can rehab assignments last 30 days, or is that only with pitchers?

 

He's got 30 days. My guess is they'll use all 30 to get him AB's before he's called up and has to sit.

 

If I had to guess, they'll deal for a different type backup and he'll replace Gonzalez who will be dealt or let go.

[monty57]

I read an article recently which made me believe the Brewers want to get Davis back to AAA to get some PAs, as he isn't getting them now. Ramirez coming off the DL will probably knock Davis to Nashville, giving us a bench of Maldonado, Schafer, Lalli, Prince and whichever of Yuni/Gonzalez is not playing 1B that day.

 

I agree with Briggs that they'll probably keep Bianchi in the minors as long as they can. You never know when an injury will happen, so that offers some injury protection, and it gives the Brewers time to see if a team would give them anything in trade for a backup SS.

[djoctagone]

khris davis optioned to nashville. corresponding move coming.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Bianchi's rehab assignment is over on Friday, so need to bring him up or risk losing him.

bianchi started his rehab assignment on 13 april. can rehab assignments last 30 days, or is that only with pitchers?

 

He's got 30 days. My guess is they'll use all 30 to get him AB's before he's called up and has to sit.

 

If I had to guess, they'll deal for a different type backup and he'll replace Gonzalez who will be dealt or let go.

 

Nope, it's 20 for position players. 30 days is only for pitches. It expires on Friday.

[djoctagone]

jeff bianchi, scooter gennett and caleb gindl are all in the nashville starting lineup tonight. no other position player in the minor leagues is currently on the 40-man roster. it should be noted that bianchi is starting in left field tonight.

[PrinceEatMeat]

jeff bianchi, scooter gennett and caleb gindl are all in the nashville starting lineup tonight. no other position player in the minor leagues is currently on the 40-man roster. it should be noted that bianchi is starting in left field tonight.

 

Yep, he's definitely coming up then. Makes sense to get him some playing time in the OF, so he can act as the 5th OF. I'm surprised it took this long into his rehab assignment to do so. Maybe it was because they just recently started talking about sending Davis down? Just because he's playing tonight doesn't mean he can't come up tomorrow. Could be Ramirez a day early though. Doesn't really matter. Either way Ramirez and Bianchi will replace Davis and Prince within the next 2 days.

[djoctagone]

as many predicted, jeff bianchi joins the brewers. he is out of minor league options, and having been outrighted to the minor leagues once before, if he is outrighted again, he has the right to declare free agency.

[JohnBriggs12]

Gonzalez is going to be the odd man out eventually (return of Hart) and my guess is he knows it. Prince will likely be optioned to make room for Ramirez.

 

When Gonzalez was signed it was to help transition the young SS Segura into an everyday role. He got the first shot at 1B out of respect, but didn't do much with it. Segura has shown to be a vital cog in the lineup and not needing time off to this point. If he does hit a wall later on, they are covered with Bianchi and Yuni. Bianchi is a good enough athlete that I'm sure he can handle corner OF in an emergency. His major league future is as a utility guy.

 

Lalli is probably secure in the short term because he's a lefty bat, a bit older, can be 3rd catcher, and they don't have an alternative right now (why they are seeking a "Kotsay" type). Having him around frees them up to use Maldonado or Lucroy to pinch hit too.

[monty57]

Gonzalez is going to be the odd man out eventually (return of Hart) and my guess is he knows it.

 

I agree with your post, but there are 28 days before Hart will be eligible to come off the DL. A lot can happen in 28 days. An injury could happen, a trade could occur, or someone could go from extremely hot to extremely cold (or vice versa). It would be nice if they'd able to trade Gonzalez, freeing up a space for a non-SS on the bench. But we really don't have any top hitting prospects, or even any non-prospects in AAA with a hot bat, who are forcing their way to the majors, so barring injury, you're probably right that unless something unforeseen happens Gonzalez will be a Brewer until Hart gets back, at which point he'll be let go.

 

On a side note, it is good to see Ramirez (nearly) back. Hopefully they let his knee get fully healed this time, so he isn't back on the DL in need of surgery in a couple of weeks.

[djoctagone]

as many expected with the return of aramis ramirez, the brewers option josh prince to nashville.

 

per ron roenicke, the brewers bench now consists of jeff bianchi, alex gonzalez, blake lalli, martin maldonado and logan schafer.

 

this move leaves the team a little thin with outfield depth, but with the way that carlos gomez has been playing, and with ryan braun being the kind of player you want in every day, the club should be ok. bianchi might be able to fill a corner outfield spot in a pinch.

[joepepsi]

They really only need 4 OF'ers at this point. As said above, Bianchi could probably finish a game at the corners in an emergency.

 

Unless Davis can learn some versatility in the field, his only future with the Brewers is as a PH. So I'd prefer he stay with the team and work from that role. But I see the logic of keeping Lalli instead for now. He's left handed, a 3rd catcher, and with Hart still out helps a bit with 1B issues.

 

I hope Roenicke actually finds a couple starts a week for Bianchi, but more likely we'll never see him play except to PH or in a double switch.

[djoctagone]

yuniesky betancourt is the other planned backup in the outfield per this report.

[FVBrewerFan]

I don't see a need for either Gonzalez or Lalli. One will be gone when Hart gets back, but why wait? Yuni, Maldanado, and I'm assuming Bianchi can all play 1B. So why do we need a 3rd catcher? We now have 4 SS, so what do you need Gonzalez for?

 

If they want to wait to make a move when Hart gets back, that's ok I guess (although I wouldn't wait.) But even at that, there's no reason to keep both Gonzalez and Lalli around for another month. They need a LH bat off the bench. Not sure who this is, but there must be someone around in the system or elsewhere better than Lalli's bat?? And Gonzalez....well he has no purpose whatsoever on this roster. Another bullpen arm would even be a better option than Gonzalez.

[Outlander]

I guess I don't mind Lalli on the team and at this point would rather have him than Gonzalez once Hart returns. He provides a Kotsay type lefty bat off the bench and lets them use Maldonado/Lucroy as a pinch hitter when need be. If a better lefty bench guy is availabe at the deadline then Lalli can go but for the time being he is fine where he is.

[JohnBriggs12]

I wouldn't judge Lalli too harshly on less than 20 widely spaced ABs. The difference between him and some other more experienced guy is probably very little. He had a real nice AB the other day. If one comes along fine.

 

Gonzalez has the experience edge, but he's never been a part time player much less a guy who may only see 20 AB's in a month. It's a tough role for anybody.

[torts]

I am sure the Brewers can find a team in need of a backup or every day SS somewhere in the league to send Alex if it comes down to cutting him or trading him. I'd much rather the brewers trade him for a MiLB pitcher from any level than just let him walk for nothing (granted he's not worth much at all right now)

[djoctagone]

bear in mind that the brewers are playing with a four-man bench in bianchi, schafer, gonzalez and maldonado, and that the brewers will need to create a 40-man spot when corey hart returns, and at some point, the brewers hopefully will return to a 12-man pitching staff.

 

schafer and maldonado aren't going anywhere provided they stay healthy. one would think that bianchi has proven that when given the opportunity to play, he can perform (plus he provides a spot start for the struggling weeks or the recovering ramirez).

 

when hart returns, the brewers have to be thinking of cutting or trading gonzalez or betancourt, right? that would put hart back on the 40-man.

 

then the brewers could look for a fifth bench player (either recall lalli or outright him to acquire a veteran outside the organization).

 

i just can't envision the brewers proceeding with a bench that includes both gonzalez and betancourt once hart returns.

[djoctagone]

good to see the brewers now back to a five player bench, and one with more left-handed bats.

 

the bench now likely consists of: bianchi, maldonado, schafer, a first baseman named betancourt or francisco and a second baseman named weeks or gennett.

[djoctagone]

i know only four games remain in the season, but the brewers look to be quite thin in the infield with available bench players. aramis ramirez is likely done for the year. jean segura has yet to return.

 

assuming segura can't return to action, jeff bianchi and yuniesky betancourt can cover short and third, but then that leaves no backups at second, short and third.

 

did josh prince's phone ring last night?

[djoctagone]

i did forget that sean halton could fill in at third. but then that leaves jonathan lucroy as the only backup at first.

[jerichoholicninja]

At this point whatever. Didn't Ron say he would use Gomez at short last year when they were thin? That could be entertaining.

[JohnBriggs12]

i know only four games remain in the season, but the brewers look to be quite thin in the infield with available bench players. aramis ramirez is likely done for the year. jean segura has yet to return.

 

assuming segura can't return to action, jeff bianchi and yuniesky betancourt can cover short and third, but then that leaves no backups at second, short and third.

 

did josh prince's phone ring last night?

 

 

If you compare what other teams have backing up in the middle infield, I think by comparison, the Brewers aren't in bad shape. Bianchi can play anywhere and is fine defensively and while he'll probably never hit enough to push for a starters job, he does some good things at the plate and he fits well with the makeup of the team. Betancourt returning is a long shot, but, and I'll get hammered here, as a 25th man they could do worse. That's not saying they shouldn't look for an upgrade but I could see a scenario where he's back in Arizona on a minor league deal. He's actually a good clubhouse guy.

 

Halton is another guy that I think can play both corner IF spots and both corner OF spots and against certain types of left handed pitching I think he's a plus in the lineup.

[Roderick]

Betancourt returning is a long shot, but, and I'll get hammered here, as a 25th man they could do worse. That's not saying they shouldn't look for an upgrade but I could see a scenario where he's back in Arizona on a minor league deal. He's actually a good clubhouse guy.

 

I'm not going to hammer you that Betancourt would be fine as the 25th guy on the bench, but can we really trust RR not to play him more than he should? That is why you take the decision out of his hands by not signing him.