William Contreras slugs 13th home run in win

Contreras has shouldered a heavy load behind the dish for the Brewers this season, so they’ll get him off of his feet for a day on Sunday. Gary Sanchez will do the catching for the Brewers and will bat sixth against Rangers’ righty Kumar Rocker.

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.

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.

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.

Naylor’s arrival seems to signal that Milwaukee is open to moving current backup catcher Gary Sánchez. The 26-year-old former top prospect never lived up to his potential in Cleveland, but he represents an interesting reclamation project for the Brewers behind starter William Contreras. He’s flashed some occasional over-the-fence pop, but needs to start making more frequent hard contact if he’s going to be a fantasy-relevant option in the future. It’s the type of challenge trade between two forward-thinking front offices that has a range of potential outcomes wider than the Grand Canyon.

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.

With the Brew Crew trailing 1-0, Contreras changed that in a hurry with a three-run homer off Pete Fairbanks to give Milwaukee the victory in the series finale. It’s just the 10th homer of the season for the 28-year-old — who otherwise has put together a solid season — and he’s now driven in 57 runs in 98 games. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Contreras starts seeing more balls going over the fence over the summer months, but in the meantime, at least he contributes in the average category as seen in his .280 mark.

It’s the third straight week that Contreras has gotten a breather on a Sunday. If you’re going to get a day off though, doing so against Paul Skenes isn’t the worst idea in the world. Gary Sanchez will start in his place behind the dish and bat fifth for the Brewers on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh.