Brewers call up top prospect Keston Hiura

Travis Durkee

Brewers call up top prospect Keston Hiura image

Travis Shaw’s struggles at the plate have frustrated Brewers fans all season. But if they look on the bright side, it has opened the door for top prospect Keston Hiura to make his MLB debut.

Milwaukee announced Tuesday it has promoted its prized second base prospect from Triple-A San Antonio while placing Shaw on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist strain. 

Hiura, 22, is tearing through the Pacific Coast League in 2019 with a .333/.408/.698 slash line, 11 home runs and 26 RBIs. The 2017 first-round pick has flourished at every level of the minors with a combined .316 average in 202 games with five different teams. Though considered an average defender at second base, Hiura's offense is his selling point, per his scouting report on MLB.com:

Hiura's swing is a thing of beauty, as he combines explosive bat speed and good physical strength with tremendous bat-to-ball skills and barrel awareness. It enables him to generate consistently loud contact, with the ball jumping off his bat to all fields. That preternatural feel for impacting the baseball fuels Hiura's projection as a potential plus-plus hitter who also offers at least above-average game power.

Hiura is listed as the game’s No. 15 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and will provide the Brewers with an option at second base while Shaw, who is batting .163 with only four homers and eight RBIs, takes some time to heal. In addition to sending Shaw to the IL on Tuesday, the Brewers cleared a 40-man roster spot for Hiura by designating Cory Spangenberg for assignment. 

"It'll be cool when the time comes," Hiura told MiLB.com this spring when discussing the upcoming season and his potential call-up. "Right now, I can only control what I can control, give my best effort and attitude to San Antonio. My goal is to do whatever I can to help the team win there, and if (the Brewers) need me, of course I'll be excited for that moment to take it all in, cherish those moments and do what I can to help contribute at that level."

Milwaukee has dropped three games in a row to fall 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. The club has six games remaining on its current 10-game road trip, which continues Tuesday with the second of a four-game series against the Phillies.

Travis Durkee