The Brewers have acquired infielder Braden Shewmake from the Astros, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Houston, who designated Shewmake for assignment on Friday, receives cash considerations in return. To clear 40-man roster space for Shewmake, Milwaukee has designated outfielder Greg Jones for assignment. In separate moves, the team transferred Brandon Woodruff to the 60-day injured list and reinstated right-hander Coleman Crow from the 15-day IL, optioning him to Triple-A. Milwaukee’s 40-man roster has an open spot after all the moves.

A first-round pick by Atlanta in 2019, Shewmake debuted in 2023 and has since taken 154 big league plate appearances between the Braves, White Sox, and Astros. He has batted .192/.204/.315 with a wRC+ of 39 in that time. While his 15.6% strikeout rate is excellent, Shewmake’s 1.9% walk rate in the Majors is well below average.

Houston acquired Shewmake in April in a minor trade with the Yankees. The 28-year-old batted .256/.272/.423 with an 89 wRC+ in 83 plate appearances for the Astros, showing the aforementioned strikeout and walk trends. Shewmake landed on the 10-day injured list on June 2nd and missed over a month of action. He was activated on July 6th but only appeared in two more games before being designated for assignment.

While the 89 wRC+ was acceptable for a backup infielder, the presence of Nick Allen and Zach Dezenzo and the recent return of Jeremy Peña made the out-of-options Shewmake expendable. He’ll now get a look with the Brewers instead. Milwaukee currently has Andrew Vaughn on the roster, but he’s limited to first base. Shewmake has played shortstop, second, and third base and gives the Brewers more defensive versatility behind their starting infielders.

With Shewmake joining the team, Jones loses his spot on the 40-man roster and heads to DFA limbo. He has appeared in 12 big league games this year, mostly in April. The Brewers designated Jones for assignment on May 4th and sent him outright to Triple-A Nashville a few days later, which he accepted. He was selected again on July 7th, but he only got into one game on July 8th before being designated again. Jones has a 12.8% walk rate and a 127 wRC+ at Triple-A this year. He has the right to reject another outright assignment if he clears waivers, so perhaps he’ll get some interest from other clubs as a depth piece on account of his minor league production.

Turning to Woodruff, his move to the 60-day IL puts him out until early September at best and potentially closes the book on his season. The righty landed on the 15-day IL a week ago, and initial testing revealed an anterior capsule injury in Woodruff’s right shoulder, which he had surgically repaired in 2023. He also missed eight weeks earlier this season for right shoulder inflammation, making nine starts with a 2.98 ERA around the injuries.

As of Wednesday, Woodruff was seeking a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, who performed the 2023 procedure. According to Hogg, the Brewers are still awaiting official next steps from Meister’s evaluation, though the injury is severe enough to warrant today’s transfer. Further updates, including whether Woodruff needs another surgery, are expected after the All-Star break. If he’s not able to pitch again this year, Woodruff could be in line for another one-year pact in free agency, likely at a lower value than this year’s $22.025MM.

Crow landed on the 15-day IL on June 12th (retroactive to the 10th) with a right forearm flexor strain. He ended up missing just over a month, suggesting the strain was on the lighter side. Prior to the injury, Crow had a 5.30 ERA in 18 2/3 innings with the big league club, with four of his five appearances being starts. He maxed out at 3 1/3 innings between his two recent rehab starts, so he’ll head to Triple-A to keep building up.

Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images