Luis Lara blasts first career homer in blowout win

Bauers has been dealing with a relatively minor foot issue for the last couple weeks. He’s presumably available off the bench with rookie Luis Lara taking over in right field to open the contest.

The Brewers weren’t exactly quick to activate Frelick, who, after just a couple of weeks off due to a shoulder injury, went 10-for-36 with two homers over 10 games for Triple-A Nashville on a rehab assignment. It seems like a sign that they’ll treat him as more of a fourth outfielder now than the lineup fixture he’s been in recent years. Frelick hit just .236/.301/.330 in 313 plate appearances before going on the injured list, and Luis Lara has been a bit of an upgrade both offensively and defensively in his place.

Luis Lara gets a chance to patrol center field with Mitchell receiving some extra time off to rest a lingering foot issue. The 27-year-old outfielder is hitting .202 with zero homers and six steals across 28 games since the All-Star break.

Lara is 1-for-16 in his last five games, putting him at .224/.333/.345 in 69 plate appearances since his callup. The plan likely is to keep him in the majors for the rest of the season, but he figures to lose playing time after Sal Frelick comes off the injured list, and if he’s struggling at that point, perhaps he could be sent down, rather than Brandon Lockridge.

Lara drew a walk in the fourth inning and stole second before scoring on a base hit. He then was credited with an RBI on a groundout in the fifth, then tripled in the seventh to drive in two runs, putting his speed on display. The 21-year-old outfielder is hitting .289/.391/.447 with six runs and 10 RBI across 46 plate appearances.

Bauers added that it’ll merely be a pain management and tolerance issue since he’s not dealing with a new injury. It sounds like there’s a decent chance that he manages to avoid a trip to the injured list, which is an unexpected positive development for the Brewers. The 30-year-old slugger is out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Giants with rookie Luis Lara in right field. He should be considered day-to-day moving forward.

It’s a bit unclear how much time Bauers is going to miss, but he’s probably headed to the injured list after fouling a ball off his toe during Monday’s series opener in San Francisco. He’ll undergo follow-up imaging to determine his potential return timeline. However, fantasy managers should brace for a multi-week absence, even in a best-case scenario. His departure from Milwaukee’s right field mix puts even more pressure on top prospect Luis Lara to perform until Sal Frelick (shoulder) is back from the injured list in a few weeks.

Frelick is expected to be ready to return at some point in early-to-mid August. Milwaukee top prospect Luis Lara will continue playing regularly in his absence for the next couple weeks. Frelick hit the injured list with a right shoulder strain that had been bothering him for a while back on July 18.

Mitchell will get a rare day off with left-hander Kyle Freeland toeing the slab for the Rockies on Sunday afternoon. Luis Lara will start in his place in center field and will bat seventh for the Brewers on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.

Lara entered play Saturday with a 6-for-27 (.222) start to his MLB career. Against the Rockies, he had his first game with two hits, his first game where he was on base three times and his first game with three RBI. Lara, who doesn’t turn 22 until November, is oozing with potential. He improved his average to .276 with one big game. Lara stole 24 bases in 78 games in the minors this year, but has just one steal in 12 games so far in the majors. With Sal Frelick out with a shoulder strain, the Brewers are going to continue to take a look at Lara and fantasy managers might want to as well.