Brewers acquire Bo Naylor in four-player trade

It’s not an official callup, but it’ll be Naylor’s first appearance in a Brewers uniform since he was acquired from the Guardians on Aug. 1.

He hit the ball hard every time up today, with his singles ranging from 97 mph to 108 mph off the bat. Contreras has followed up a string of six straight hitless contests by going 9-for-20 with a homer and a 2/3 K/BB in his last five games.

It appears to just be a routine day-game-after-a-night-game rest. Gary Sánchez is batting cleanup against RHP George Kirby.

Contreras hit the ball in excess of 100 mph all four times up tonight, which is the kind of performance that suggests his slump really is over. Not only was he 0-for-20 in his last six games, but he was hitting just .146 with two RBI in his last 22 contests.

The double with the automatic runner on base put the Brewers ahead in the 11th. Sánchez has made a case for more playing time at DH (or at catcher with William Contreras DHing) by hitting .230/.379/.473. He has two more homers than Christian Yelich (10 to 8) in 156 fewer plate appearances (206 to 362).

Austin Hays took a ridiculously wild swing against an eephus pitch from Gary Sánchez and drilled Contreras pretty good. Contreras was able to continue after a visit from the trainer, perhaps in part because his backup was doing the pitching at the time. If he doesn’t play Wednesday, this will probably be the reason.

It has become routine that Yelich generally sits during Sunday afternoon games as a way to get him some rest and keep him healthy for the duration of the season. The fact that the Brewers are facing a left-hander in this one only fueled that fire. William Contreras will function as the club’s designated hitter in his place while Gary Sanchez starts behind the dish.

The acquisition of Bo Naylor in a trade with the Guardians earlier on Saturday seemed like a potential precursor to a Sánchez trade, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Rosenthal and Sammon add that the Brewers view Naylor as another layer of protection behind starter William Contreras heading toward the postseason.

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.

Yelich gets a break with rookie southpaw Zac Thornton toeing the rubber for New York in this one following eight consecutive starts at DH. It’ll be William Contreras getting a night off from the catching duties with Gary Sánchez behind the dish.