A nagging shoulder injury threatens to sideline the durable Sal Frelick, opening the door for rising prospect Luis Lara to claim an everyday role in the Milwaukee Brewers outfield.
The Milwaukee Brewers pulled Sal Frelick from their Friday night game, which the Brewers won 2-1 in extra innings over the Miami Marlins, in the fifth inning for Luis Lara. The move left Brewers fans wondering what was wrong.
Frelick was pulled due to soreness in his shoulder. Seeing as he plays in the outfield, that's the last thing someone in that position needs.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said it's an issue he was dealing with earlier in the season, but a throw in last night's game re-aggravated whatever was going on in the first place.
Moving forward, there seems to be a clear path for Lara to get everyday at-bats, but it comes at the expense of Frelick who could find himself on the Injured List.
Murphy on Frelick's injury
"Sal tried to make a throw in the outfield and felt it," Murphy said, according to FSRWI's Hunter Baumgardt. "He's had a little issue with it earlier in the season. We don't want to take any chances, we'll get an update here, they're going to get it imaged, obviously, at some point."
After a brief pause, Murphy added, "I suspect he won't be able to go anytime soon. That's what it looks like."
Frelick has appeared in 434 games with the Brewers dating back to his debut in 2023. He's as durable as it gets, having played in 142 or more games in each of the last two seasons.
Here in 2026, the injury bug continues to hit the Brewers organization. With so many pitchers on the IL, it seems like Frelick could join fellow outfielder Brandon Lockridge as well as utility man David Hamilton as position players out with injuries.
Lara's time is now
Fans questioned the Brewers' decision to bring up a 21-year-old with no sign of everyday at-bats, but there's now a clear path to Lara receiving consistent playing time.
There's no guarantee this'll last through the rest of the season, but the last thing the Brewers wanted to do was hold back Lara's development by having him as a bench player in the big leagues.
In his first 17 at-bats with the team, Lara is slashing .294/.429/.353. His OPS sits at .782 and in just six games he already has a 0.2 WAR.
Lara made his American Family Field debut last night, going 1-for-3 upon replacing Frelick. Overall, he's 5-for-17 with a pair of runs and RBIs, along with the fact that he's drawn four walks and has only struck out three times.
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