Brewers NLDS roster cuts create opportunity for demoted outfielder

For the Brewers in the regular season, Lockridge hit .261/.308/.370 in 46 at-bats. He isn’t much with the bat, but that won’t be his main duty in the playoffs. Between the Padres and Brewers, he stole 10 bags in 11 tries. Lockridge can also play all three outfield spots, though this season he took reps in left field exclusively.

After Chourio returned and Lockridge was demoted, it seemed as though he might have served the full extent of his purpose in Milwaukee, tiding the outfield rotation through injury and stashed at Triple-A as organizational depth.

Clearly the Brewers have further plans for him, though, and they targeted him in the trade market specifically for his skills in the field and as a baserunner anticipating a need in those areas. The bench already holds Blake Perkins – or Isaac Collins if Perkins starts in center –  as well as Jake Bauers, but Lockridge gives manager Pat Murphy extra flexibility in late-game scenarios.

As for Hoskins, it isn’t surprising to see him left off, though in a vacuum he is obviously the more talented MLB-caliber player. On this roster, though, with the emergence of Andrew Vaughn as the starting first baseman and solid platoon play from Jake Bauers as a lefty bat behind him, Hoskins had been reduced to a pinch-hitter. After rejoining the Brewers in September, he logged only 10 plate appearances the rest of the way, going 1-10 with six strikeouts. In the context of postseason baseball, the versatility of someone like Lockridge becomes a more valuable asset off the bench.