Brewers' infielder Keston Hiura optioned to Triple-A

The Brewers have optioned infielder Keston Hiura to Triple-A Nashville, per a team announcement.

This is the second time this year the Brewers have demoted Hiura, whom they previously sent down at the beginning of May. Milwaukee recalled Hiura a little while later after he put up an eye-popping .438/.526/.906 line with three home runs and two stolen bases in 38 plate appearances with Nashville, but he struggled again after the Brewers brought him back. The 24-year-old was a .152/.247/.266 hitter in 89 trips to the plate when the Brewers sent him down, and he’s now at an even worse .130/.217/.222 through 122 PA. Hiura has also struck out at an alarming 39.3 percent rate and logged a paltry .093 isolated power mark with one home run.

Hiura, of course, is a former star prospect who more than matched the hype as a rookie in 2019, during which he batted .303/.368/.570 with 19 homers and nine steals in 348 PA. But he fell flat a season ago and simply hasn’t been able to rebound since then. Hiura has spent the majority of his time in the bigs this year sharing reps at first base with Daniel Vogelbach, who has also registered below-average numbers.