The Milwaukee Brewers are immediately introducing an interesting wrinkle to their lineup when they open Cactus League play on Saturday, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Todd Rosiak reported Friday.
According to Rosiak, Sal Frelick is set to lead off and start at third base in the team's first exhibition game of Spring Training against the San Diego Padres. The 23-year-old Frelick, however, has only ever logged innings in the outfield during his time in college, the minor leagues and the big leagues.
The last time Frelick played third base was back in 2018, when he made four appearances at the position for the North Shore Navigators in the Futures Collegiate League. Frelick had nine putouts and seven assists without recording an error.
During the first week of Spring Training camp, Frelick was seen practicing at both second and third base. Reports started to surface that a position change was a possibility for Frelick, who worked out with longtime Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia in the offseason.
Milwaukee enters 2024 with three former top prospects on its outfield depth chart – Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Jackson Chourio, MLB Pipeline's No. 2 prospect in all of baseball. Then there's former All-Star and MVP Christian Yelich, who has posted negative defensive runs saved and a negative defensive WAR for five seasons running
That led many to believe Yelich would start transitioning to becoming a full-time designated hitter, leaving the three young guns to patrol the outfield.
Frelick's test run at third base could suggest that Yelich is remaining in the field, however. Alternatively, this could just be manager Pat Murphy trying to find different ways to keep all four outfielders in the lineup.
Andruw Monasterio is technically the incumbent at third base, with Josh Donaldson and Brian Anderson hitting free agency last fall. Infielder Joey Ortiz, who came back from the Baltimore Orioles in the Corbin Burnes trade, could also carve out some playing time in the hot corner.
Frelick's bat is more highly regarded than either of theirs – he boasts a .314 batting average and .844 OPS in 197 minor league appearances – so his performance in the field on Saturday could seriously influence how Murphy shapes his lineup moving forward.
The 2021 first round pick was ranked as the No. 17 prospect in the league before he got called up last summer.
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