There was a time not so long ago that Keston Hiura looked like he might be a mainstay in the Milwaukee Brewers lineup. Sure, his defense at second base was shaky at best, but he lit up the minor leagues from the moment he joined the organization, who selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft.
In his first season as a professional player, Hiura hit .371/.422/.611 with four home runs and 33 RBI. In 2018, playing in 123 games for high-A and Double-A, he hit .293/.357/.464 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI.
And then, in 2019, after just barely two years in the minors, Hiura received a call-up to the Brewers after mashing .329/.407/.681 with 19 home runs and 46 RBI in just 57 games for Triple-A.
Keston Hiura Could Never Replicate His Early Success with the Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers27 13
Upon being called up to the Majors, Hiura took the city of Milwaukee by storm, slashing .303/.368/.570 with 19 home runs and 49 RBI in 84 games. It appeared that the Brewers would be slotting him and Christian Yelich into their lineups back-to-back for years to come.
Alas, though, it was not to be.
Hiura struggled in 2020, hitting just .212/.297/.410 with 13 home runs and 32 RBI while leading the Majors with 85 strikeouts in the COVID-shortened season. In 2021, he hit just .168/.256/.301 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 61 games in Milwaukee, prompting the Brewers to send him back to Triple-A.
And thus began the trend of Hiura dominating Triple-A pitching while struggling to hit in the Majors. In 2022, he slashed .319/.458/.723 in the minors, but just .226/.316/.449 in Milwaukee. The following season, Hiura did not not play in the Majors at all, but hit .311/.397/.563 with 23 home runs and 79 RBI for Nashville.
The Brewers and Hiura parted ways after that season, but his tendencies did not change. He hit .287/.363/.580 with 26 home runs and 66 RBI in the minor league systems of the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels in 2024, but just .148/.148/.148 when called up by the Angels.
This season, Hiura signed with the Colorado Rockies. After hitting .243/.360/.367 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in 46 games, the Rockies called him up to maybe give their stagnant offense a boost. Unfortunately, he continued to struggle against Major League pitching, hitting .222/.333/.278 in eight games.
Milwaukee Brewers Fans React to Keston Hiura Being DFA’d by the Colorado Rockies
On Monday, it was announced that Colorado had designated Hiura for assignment. Should he go unclaimed, he can choose to either return to the Rockies’ Triple-A squad or become a free agent.
As one might expect, Brewers fans were not too surprised with the news, nor do they think their former top prospect has much of a future in the league:
Getting DFAd by the Rockies is an all time low. Love you, Keston, but this might be it. https://t.co/ZSMDCXPvZb
— Brewtal Takes (@BrewtalTakes) June 16, 2025
Yikes.. ☹️ https://t.co/koWcARXnrX
— 𝕭𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕱𝖆𝖓’𝖘 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖙 (@brewerfanchalet) June 16, 2025
Craig Counsell ruined my king and I’ll never forgive him https://t.co/ukWWnWVT2l
— Matthew Streeter (@Matt__Streeter) June 16, 2025
DFA’d again right before he was going to Figure It Out https://t.co/0nth0nusel
— Nick Mears for Closer 2025 (@DIYchemtrails) June 16, 2025
It remains to be seen what Hiura will do next. Clearly, he does well in Triple-A and, therefore, has a future in baseball for the foreseeable future. However, it is clear to everyone that he simply cannot hit Major League pitching consistently.
It may be a while before he gets another opportunity.
More Milwaukee Brewers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Brewers Gain Ground After 3-1 Series Win, but Giants Massive Trade Shakes Up NL Playoff Race
- Brewers Grant .290-Hitting Outfielder His Release from the Organization
- “Less Clutter;” Brewers Pitcher Quinn Priester Explains Mental Approach Change That Has Led to Improved Performance
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
