Brewers option Craig Yoho to Triple-A Nashville

Whether Craig Yoho joins Perkins in Columbus or gets a spot in the Cleveland bullpen is still being decided. Perkins makes some sense for the Guardians as a plus defensive outfielder who can start against lefties, but they aren’t currently willing to send down David Fry or Kyle Manzardo to make room for him.

Yoho is the type of intriguing bullpen arm that Cleveland’s pitching apparatus is going to have a field day tinkering with. The 26-year-old has been one of the more fascinating relief prospects in the sport for the last couple years, posting astronomical strikeout rates in the upper minors, thanks to a deadly changeup. He seemed to finally get his footing in Milwaukee this season, posting a serviceable 3.15 ERA and 18/8 K/BB ratio across 20 innings of work. It’ll be fascinating to see if the Guardians can unlock his potential and turn him into a high-leverage weapon.

This is a fascinating challenge trade between two savvy front offices and player development factories. FanSided’s Robert Murray adds that Blake Perkins is also in the deal. Naylor wound up back in the minors after Cleveland picked up defensive specialist Patrick Bailey from the Giants back in May. The 26-year-old former top prospect represents an interesting reclamation project of sorts for the Brewers as they’ll attempt to unlock his potential as more of a long-term gamble. It also seems to signal that they’re ready to move current backup catcher Gary Sánchez to another contender. Yoho has always been an intriguing relief prospect and he’s finally started to gain some traction at the highest level this season. He fortifies Cleveland’s bullpen as a solid middle relief arm, with the potential to grow into a more prominent fixture, for the next couple years.

Yoho retired all eight batters he faced, reeling off 2 2/3 scoreless frames on just 27 pitches, after Brewers veteran starter Brandon Woodruff left Saturday’s start against the Diamondbacks with an injury. The 26-year-old was one of the more promising relief prospects in the game in the not-so-distant past. He’s shown some encouraging signs over the last few months and should get to stick around with Milwaukee heading into the second half.

Yoho was just optioned out on Monday, but he’ll rejoin the Brewers’ bullpen with Coleman Crow (forearm) landing on the 15-day injured list. Yoho has dominated at the minor league level this season and has posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and a 5/2 K/BB ratio over three innings of work with the Brewers this season.

Yoho heads back to the minors to free up a roster spot for newly acquired reliever Joel Kuhnel. The 26-year-old has allowed one run over three innings of work for the Brewers this season. He continues to post excellent numbers on the doorstep of the majors, but he’s struggled to gain any traction at the highest level with a bloated 6.17 ERA across 11 2/3 innings in the big leagues over the last two years.

He’ll replace Jake Woodford in the team’s bullpen. Yoho, 26, has been outstanding in 16 appearances at the Triple-A level this season, posting a minuscule 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and a 24/5 K/BB ratio over 18 innings. He’ll give manager Pat Murphy another weapon to deploy from the right side in late game situations.

Yoho had already been stationed at Triple-A Nashville on his minor league rehab assignment, so he’ll stay there a bit longer as he continues to round back into form. Expect to see him in Milwaukee at some point this season.

Yoho has put up otherworldly numbers in the minor leagues throughout his career, but wound up getting hit really hard in his first taste of the majors last year. The 26-year-old will be an option for Milwaukee in middle relief situations at some point in a few weeks, if not sooner.

A right soleus strain is a strain of the calf, so you learn something new every day. Yoho should return to the mound in April, and then he will need to fight his way back into the Milwaukee bullpen.