With the infield finally at full strength, the Milwaukee Brewers' rising star returns to solidify a postseason-bound lineup.
Injuries to Brice Turang, Cooper Pratt, and Joey Ortiz had manager Pat Murphy coming up with some of the wildest Milwaukee Brewers lineups in recent memory.
Thankfully, the team just reinstated Pratt from the 10-day Injured List, and finally, everyone is healthy once again.
While the Brewers didn't necessarily need Pratt in the lineup to take three of four against the back-to-back World Series champions or take down the Seattle Mariners 22-0, his return marks a major step in this team's hopes of making a deep postseason run.
Pratt, alongside Luis Lara, are two youngsters who have made an immediate impact in this lineup upon their arrival. Both are signed to long-term extensions, so Brewers fans here in 2026 are simply getting a taste of what's to come for the next seven years.
Brewers option Brandon Lockridge as corresponding move
Some may think it's odd that an outfielder like Brandon Lockridge is being optioned to Triple-A Nashville to make room for Pratt, who is a shortstop, but fellow outfielder Sal Frelick is nearing his return, so once that happens, it's not like there was going to be room for Lockridge anyway.
Obviously, Lara isn't going anywhere, and neither is Pratt. Now, the Brewers can get back to their traditional infield, one that will see Ortiz and David Hamilton once again have to split time.
It was a bit surprising not to see the team designate Jonathan Ornelas for assignment, but that move could be on its way when Frelick comes back, something Murphy is hopeful will happen sooner rather than later.
For the time being, Ornelas remains in the mix for this Brewers infield. If anything, they may ease Pratt back into things, and if another lopsided game happens to take place, Ornelas is right there to fill in for Pratt.
Pratt has been excellent this season
The 22-year-old took some time to get settled in, but once he did, he really took off. Pratt is hitting .272, and while he only has a pair of homers, he has 17 RBIs and sports a really solid 1.4 WAR.
Pratt is slashing .272/.352/.368 throughout his 136 at-bats with a strong .720 OPS for someone who has just eight extra-base hits.
The Florida native has 10 stolen bases this year, and while he's been caught twice, that's still a major learning curve at the big league level. Defensively, he has just two errors, and it's worth noting one of those came in his MLB debut back on Tuesday, June 16.
