Taylor

Green

“I think he can still be a good player,” said Melvin. McGehee, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, stumbled to a .223/.280/.346 batting line this season and was benched in the playoffs in favor of Jerry Hairston. He hit .285/.337/.464 with 23 homers and 104 RBI in 2010, though, and Melvin evidently thinks McGehee could recapture at least some of that lost production. The Brewers are not expected to make a run at Aramis Ramirez, but they seem likely to at least bring someone in to compete with McGehee or perhaps let him battle it out with Taylor Green.

Green didn’t start the game but pinch-hit for Aramis Ramirez in the sixth inning and promptly went deep against San Diego right-hander Micah Owings. The young infielder batted .336 with 22 home runs last year at Triple-A and is trying to win a spot on the Brewers bench.

Travis Ishikawa got the first crack at replacing Mat Gamel (knee), but he’s hitting just .200 (8-for-40) on the year. Green hasn’t played much in the big leagues, but has shown pop and patience on the minor league level. Assuming the Brewers don’t eventually sign Derrek Lee, he could end up being a sneaky pickup in NL-only formats.

Good news. Green doesn’t have a ton of experience at the position in the minors, either, but he certainly offers more fantasy upside than Travis Ishikawa and Brooks Conrad. The Brewers are rumored to have interest in free agent Derrek Lee, but Green could wind up running away with the job if he gets off to a good start.

Green batted .324/.405/.541 this spring, but the Brewers want him getting regular playing time and can’t offer it to him right now in the big leagues. He should be up in Milwaukee at some point this summer.

Travis Ishikawa went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Tuesday night and is hitting just .200 (8-for-40) on the year, so Green could garner more playing time at first base in the days ahead. Of course, it’s also possible the Brewers will get desperate and sign free agent Derrek Lee.

Green will provide infield depth for Milwaukee while Alex Gonzalez recovers from a right knee injury.

Corey Hart underwent knee surgery Tuesday morning and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks, so the Brewers are looking at potential backups for first baseman Mat Gamel. Non-roster invitee Travis Ishikawa, who homered Monday, is another possibility.

Ramirez stayed in the game at first, but was replaced by Taylor Green at first base to begin the bottom of the ninth. We’ll likely hear an update on his status after the game.

Green salted away a then 5-0 game with his eighth-inning bomb off of Carlos Marmol. The home run was his first in 52 at-bats this season. Although he’s getting a decent amount of starts against right-handed pitching, Green is batting just .231/.323/.385, and not worth a look outside of exceptionally deep NL-only leagues.