Brewers Announce Trade With Giants After Jackson Chourio’s Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Charlie O'Keefe | Last updated Mar 30, 2026 4:57 PM ET

The 2026 MLB season has just begun, but teams are already looking for ways to improve their rosters in the wake of early-season injuries. One such team is the Milwaukee Brewers, who acquired right-handed outfielder Luis Matos from the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

For the Brewers, Matos provides some much-needed depth with outfielder Jackson Chourio and first baseman Andrew Vaughn already on the injured list. The Brewers placed Chourio on the IL mere hours before their first game of the season, saying that he would be out for "at least the first two to four weeks of the regular season" with a small fracture in his left hand (h/t Adam McCalvy, MLB.com).

Vaughn joined Chourio on the IL after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand on opening day, which prompted a move to first base for left fielder Jake Bauers. So with their outfield depth stretched thin, the Brewers acquired Matos for cash considerations and designated left-handed reliever Sammy Peralta for assignment.

We've made the following trade with SF pic.twitter.com/lLREov9EZ7
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 30, 2026

Once ranked the #63 prospect in all of baseball (h/t MLB Pipeline), Matos captured evaluators' attenton with his impressive bat-to-ball skills at the minor league level.

Unfortunately, his contact skills did not translate well at the major league level: across parts of three seasons and 178 career games, the right-handed outfielder has a .231 batting average and a .650 OPS with 15 home runs and 61 runs batted in. The trade provides a much needed change of scenery for Matos, who failed to make the Giants' opening day roster this season.

Despite playing in three different seasons for the Giants, Matos is still only 24 years old, and he continues to perform well at the minor league level.

As it stands, any playing time for Matos will likely come against left-handed pitching. At the major-league level, Matos has a serviceable .713 career OPS against lefties, which is considerably better than his career .609 OPS against righties.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (11)© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Of course, Matos is primarily on the Brewers to serve as a stopgap until Chourio is back to full health. Any sort of production from him will be a welcome surprise, but more than anything else the Brewers just needed some right-handed outfield depth after losing Chourio and moving Bauers to first base.

If Matos impresses this window, however, it's possible that he could play his way into staying on the major league roster, likely at the expense of fellow right-handed outfielder Brandon Lockridge.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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