Lara officially promoted for MLB debut

Chourio takes a seat after going just 3-for-21 during a five-game series against the division-rival Cardinals earlier this week. The 22-year-old franchise cornerstone will get a bit of a mental reset break in the front-end of the twin bill and figures to return for Saturday’s evening showdown at PNC Park. It’ll be rookie Luis Lara taking over in left field with Garrett Mitchell hitting second in the opening contest.

It appears to just be a routine day off. Luis Lara is playing left field in Chourio’s absence on Friday, as he’s now spelled in center field, right field, and now left field in three of the last four games. It’s plausible Lara is going to be a governor on any of the other Brewers outfielders seeing full-time action, especially with their sizable lead in the NL Central.

Lara put together a memorable major-league debut during the second game of Tuesday’s twin bill at Busch Stadium, going 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI. The 21-year-old top prospect offers some serious fantasy intrigue based on his fantasy-relevant skillset and is worth a speculative roster spot in the event that he sticks around in an everyday role coming out of next week’s All-Star break.

Lara will make his highly anticipated major-league debut after sitting out the front-end of the twin bill. The switch-hitting 21-year-old top prospect signed a seven-year extension last month and earns a shot with Milwaukee after slashing a robust .321/.432/.470 with nine homers and 24 steals in 346 plate appearances at Triple-A Nashville. He offers an intriguing blend of fantasy-relevant skills and is worthy of a speculative pickup in deeper mixed leagues. The central question for fantasy managers is how much the Brewers are willing to put on his plate at this early stage of his big-league career.

Brewers skipper Pat Murphy expressed optimism that it’ll be a minimum injured list stint for Hamilton, but it might be too early to make that determination. The 28-year-old speedster figures to be out through next week’s All-Star break. Milwaukee brought up top prospect Luis Lara to take his roster spot and provide the club with a versatile bench option with some speed.

The Brewers have eight games this week, including a doubleheader on Tuesday, so there is no word yet on the plan for Lara going forward. However, the 21-year-old has certainly earned an opportunity. He is slashing .321/.423/.470 in 78 games at Triple-A with nine home runs, 67 runs scored, and 24 steals. There doesn’t seem to be a spot in the outfield for Lara, but Sal Frelick has played third base before and David Hamilton (hamstring) may be going on the injured list. There are still some moving pieces here, but Lara, who is the 67th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, signed a seven-year, $31 million extension with Milwaukee last month, so he is part of this team’s future. We would not add him in fantasy leagues until we get a more clear understanding of his role.

Lara is now hitting .327/.437/.463 in 74 Triple-A games with seven home runs, 37 RBI, 21 steals, and an impressive 45/51 K/BB ratio. He clearly has the plate approach and contact skills to succeed at the next level soon, but his path to regular playing time is blocked in Milwaukee for right now.

The 21-year-old continues to rack up base hits and is now hitting .327/.435/.462 with seven home runs, 20 steals, and a 41/46 K/BB ratio in 68 games at Triple-A. Like many Brewers prospects, he doesn’t have tons of power, but he has an elite understanding of the strike zone, good speed, and strong contact skills. His path to the big leagues does appear blocked for right now, but the Brewers did sign him to an extension earlier this month, so they definitely believe he’s close to contributing.

The long-term agreement, which was previously reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan to be worth $31 million with the potential to max out at $79 million, is now official. ara becomes the third member of Milwaukee’s young core to sign an extension prior to his big-league debut, joining franchise cornerstone Jackson Chourio and shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt. The 21-year-old top prospect already projects as an elite defensive centerfielder and is putting together a breakthrough offensive season at Triple-A Nashville, slashing .338/.447/.500 with seven homers and 18 steals in 56 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. There’s a strong possibility he reaches the majors at some point later this summer, and he offers enough power/speed upside to warrant monitoring in deeper formats once he arrives.

Heyman reports that that deal is a seven-year, $31 million contract that includes team options and escalators, with Jeff Passan of ESPN saying the deal could max out to $79 millon. It’s yet another extension in 2026 for a player that hasn’t received MLB experience, and it comes for a 21-year-old who has hit .338/.447/.500 with seven homers and 18 stolen bases over 56 games with Triple-A Nashville. The 5-foot-7 outfielder should get a chance to play for the Brew Crew before 2026 comes to an end, but he is more of a long-term play from a fantasy perspective.