Cooper Pratt hits first MLB home run in win Monday

Pratt also doubled, and both of his RBI came on the two-bagger to give the Brew Crew a 10-2 cushion. The 21-year-old also drew a walk in addition to hitting his first MLB triple, and it was a nice proof-of-concept game for a player who the Brewers believe will be an important part of their future. His on-base percentage of .342 suggests he’s picking up the baseball well. The .217 average and .283 slugging percentage suggest there’s a lot of work to be done. Tuesday was good, however.

Pratt started his big-league career 7-for-19, but he’s 1-for-25 since. The good news is that he’s maintained a 6/4 K/BB during that span. Still, he’s not going to hit for power, and batting average has been a big problem for him since the beginning of last year. In 2025, he hit .238 in spite of a nice 15 percent strikeout rate in Double-A. This year, he was at .241 with a 14 percent strikeout rate in Triple-A. It’s not at all clear that he’s a better option at shortstop than Joey Ortiz right now.

Joey Ortiz gets the start at shortstop in this one. Pratt has gotten off to a better-than-expected start at the dish, hitting .368 (7-for-19) with two RBI and three steals in six games since being called up from Triple-A Nashville last week. There’s nothing in the 21-year-old top prospect’s minor-league track record to suggest he’ll be a highly impactful fantasy contributor right away, especially given how deep the shortstop position is, but he should provide some cheap speed in deeper mixed leagues.

The error came on an airmailed throw, but it led to no harm. All three of his at-bats produced groundouts, but at least he can take heart that six of the Brewers’ other eight starters also went hitless tonight and the team won anyway. Pratt is expected to have a significant runway here to show that he belongs. Joey Ortiz is just the backup shortstop and probably the third baseman against lefties for now.

The better real-life than fantasy tag gets thrown about too liberally at times, but that certainly feels like the case with Pratt, who remains a bit of a work in progress from an offensive standpoint. He’s more than ready to handle the defensive responsibilities, which is why he was officially promoted from Triple-A Nashville prior to this contest. The 21-year-old signed an eight-year contract extension back in April and projects as Milwaukee’s long-term shortstop of the future. He’s more of a wait-and-see prospect from a pure fantasy perspective since his offensive upside is rather limited. He’ll have plenty of time to learn and improve at the highest level now that he’s arrived.

Pratt is technically recalled because he was on the 40-man roster, but the 21-year-old will be making his MLB debut Tuesday against the Guardians — assuming he’s in the starting lineup. The 21-year-old has several above-average tools, but his mediocre production in Triple-A and the difficulty of the sport he plays makes Pratt more off a long-term play than one who has to be on fantasy rosters.

Pratt was removed from Sunday’s game for Nashville in the sixth inning, and he’ll now have a chance to make his MLB debut against the Guardians this week. The 21-year-old was signed to a long-term extension prior to the start of the season, and while he’s forged an underwhelming .241/.349/.386 slash in the minors, he is considered one of the better prospects in the Milwaukee system. Fantasy managers may want to see how he handles pitching before rushing to add him to their roster in 2026.

With the deal, he was added to the 40-man roster and immediately optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Pratt’s contract is worth a reported $51 million. He might get a chance to take over at shortstop this summer if Joey Ortiz struggles offensively. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how this works out in the long run with two superior shortstop prospects behind him in 18-year-old Jesús Made and 19-year-old Luis Peña. It would seem to ensure that is current Triple-A teammate, Jett Williams, is going to wind up at third or in center field.

Nightengale adds that the long-term agreement, if it gets across the finish line, will be worth more than $50 million and contains a pair of club options worth roughly $15 million per-season. It’s a significant, virtually unprecedented, financial commitment for a highly touted prospect that has played just 123 games above High-A. The 21-year-old projects as Milwaukee’s shortstop of the future and could ascend to the big leagues at some point later this year, especially if the Brewers decide to move defensive wizard Joey Ortiz into a utility role. He’ll settle in as one of the club’s future franchise building blocks alongside fellow top middle infield prospects Jesús Made and Luis Peña.

Henderson is the headliner among this group. Given the injuries in the Brewers’ rotation, he had a shot to earn an opportunity with the big league club to start the season but he has been fighting elbow soreness of his own throughout the spring which held him back. He’ll start the year biding his time in the rotation at Triple-A Nashville.