Guardians get Blake Perkins in four-player swap

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.

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.

Perkins returns to the big leagues, likely to fill a spot on Milwaukee’s bench, with right fielder Sal Frelick hitting the injured list with a shoulder strain. The 29-year-old hit .157 (14-for-89) with one homer and three steals in 53 games for the Brewers earlier this season.

Perkins will be sent down to make room for outfield prospect Luis Lara to be called up. Perkins had not started a game since June 29th and was hitting .157/.250/.258 in 101 plate appearances this season for the Brewers.

Perkins also doubled. The homer was the first of the season, and of course it came against Cristopher Sánchez — one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2026 — because that’s how this sport works. Perkins has been awful with the bat this year, and despite this strong effort, he remains without fantasy upside.

Lockridge also suffered a severe laceration when his right leg slid into an unpadded corner of the wall at Miller Park last week. Blake Perkins and Tyler Black are in line for extra at-bats while Lockridge is out, though Black might soon be sent down to make room for Christian Yelich on the roster.

Perkins returns to the majors to fill a spot on Milwaukee’s bench after Brandon Lockridge suffered a serious knee injury during Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. The 29-year-old was shipped to the minors when Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn came back from the injured list earlier this week.

Perkins gets caught up in a roster crunch with both Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn returning from the injured list. The 29-year-old reserve outfielder winds up losing his roster spot with Brandon Lockridge occupying a bench spot behind Chourio, Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick.

He pulled a Tarik Skubal fastball down into the left-field corner, taking the left-hander out of line for the win. Perkins hasn’t played much of late as the Brewers have been on a run of right-handed starters, and fantasy managers won’t be clamoring for the .135/.256/.216 batting line. He’s mainly a platoon thorn for Milwaukee’s better outfielders for fantasy purposes.

Lockridge has been playing through a minor hip issue. He’ll get a break in this one with red-hot Garrett Mitchell patrolling center field and Blake Perkins in left.