A few months ago the Milwaukee Brewers announced that Luke Voit and Tyler Naquin had signed minor league contracts with the team. In dramatic and dragged out fashion Luke Voit ended up making the big league roster after delaying his first opt out date with the Crew. Veteran outfielder Tyler Naquin did not follow suit and rather accepted an assignment to Triple-A Nashville.
As part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement, Tyler Naquin qualifies as a player who will have three opportunities to retest free agency if not added to the Major League roster. His first opt out date came before the start of the regular season, but his second chance will be on May 1.
Tyler Naquin, a veteran outfielder currently on a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, can opt out of his contract on May 1.
Naquin, a 32 year old left-handed hitter and former 15th overall pick, has been playing in the minor leagues with the Nashville Sounds. Through his first 13 games he has a .250/.294/.375 with two home runs and seven RBI. He did spend some time on the injured list but has since returned.
At the big league level, the Milwaukee Brewers recently lost Garrett Mitchell to a likely season ending shoulder injury that will require surgery. They also lost outfield prospect Sal Frelick for 6-8 weeks due to thumb surgery. This means that Joey Wiemer has shifted out of right field and into center field.
Currently playing right field for the Brew Crew is Brian Anderson and Blake Perkins. Tyrone Taylor, who missed all of spring training, recently just started a minor league rehab assignment. Depending upon Perkins performance and Taylor’s rehab it’s possible that Milwaukee could be in need of Naquin’s services at some point, but for now there is no clear path to the big leagues for him.
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