Guardians sending Blake Perkins to Triple-A

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.

Perkins provides Cleveland with a reliable bench outfielder capable of handling all three spots defensively. The 29-year-old has had a rough season at the plate, hitting .157 across 101 plate appearances with the Brewers, but he makes sense on a playoff roster in a reserve role.

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.

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 gets the boot with Abner Uribe back with Milwaukee. It comes after Yoho allowed three runs over an inning of work during Wednesday’s game, but it seems pretty likely that the 26-year-old hurler will get another chance to help the Brew Crew bullpen before the end of the year.

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.

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.