Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!
As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.
Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Current record: 50-37
Record this week: 4-2
This week’s opponent: vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
Next week’s opponent: @ Charlotte Knights
Standout performances:
Eddys Leonard:
5-for-12, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K Jett Williams: 9-for-23, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K Luis Matos: 7-for-19, 4 2B, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K Lyon Richardson: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
The biggest news out of Triple-A this week: infielder David Hamilton left tonight’s Brewers game with hamstring tightness that, per manager Pat Murphy, is “going to take a little bit of time” to heal. While obviously this technically isn’t Nashville news, it has major implications for the Sounds, as Hamilton’s spot on the 26-man roster will — in all likelihood — be filled by one of Nashville’s infielders. Murphy did indicate that Hamilton’s injury may necessitate a roster move. Before we get into the rest of the roundup, let’s take a look at the candidates:
Jett Williams entered the season as the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect behind consensus top-20 prospects Jesús Made and Luis Peña. He’s also the highest-ranked prospect currently in Triple-A and, like Hamilton, can play both shortstop and third base.
The case against promoting Williams is that he hasn’t consistently produced at the plate since reaching Triple-A. He hit just .209 with a .718 OPS in 34 games for Triple-A Syracuse after earning a midseason promotion with the Mets last year. He’s looked much better over the past couple of weeks — going 13-for-34 with a .975 OPS — but is still hitting .236 with a .733 OPS overall.
Given that he’s one of the organization’s top prospects, the Brewers may prefer to let Williams build on that recent momentum rather than risk disrupting his confidence. There’s also the matter of playing time. Once Hamilton returns, Williams — or whoever the Brewers call up — would likely be headed back to Triple-A, and Murphy has repeatedly emphasized this season that the Brewers won’t call up top prospects unless there’s a path to regular at-bats.
If Hamilton only misses a week or two, Milwaukee may simply be looking for a stopgap. If that’s the case, 25-year-old Eddys Leonard could be the favorite. A former Braves and Tigers prospect, Leonard signed with the Brewers as a minor-league free agent this past offseason and has put together an excellent year in Nashville. His .297 batting average and .881 OPS both rank second on the Sounds behind Luis Lara. If promoted, Leonard strikes me as the type of player who could get off to a fast start, especially if the Brewers only need him for a couple of weeks before opposing pitchers have time to adjust.
Leonard also offers plenty of defensive versatility, though most of it has come away from the left side of the infield — at least this season. While he’s listed as a shortstop, he’s appeared in just one game there and two at third base. Leonard has almost exclusively played second base (25 starts) and left field (21) with the Sounds, so it’s fair to wonder how comfortable the Brewers would be using him regularly at shortstop or third.
Williams and Leonard are the clear favorites, but if you want to get weird, there are a few other long-shot options that at least warrant mentioning. One is Luke Adams (No. 12), though the Brewers would probably be hesitant to trust him at third base on an everyday basis. Joey Ortiz could still serve as a late-game defensive replacement, with Cooper Pratt handling shortstop.
Like Williams, Adams is a highly regarded enough prospect that the Brewers likely wouldn’t want to call him up without a path to regular playing time. However, unlike Williams, he doesn’t have the defensive versatility to move around the diamond to get his bat in the lineup. While he could play first base or DH, those spots are already occupied. Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn can man first, and the Brewers also have Christian Yelich — plus whichever of Gary Sánchez or William Contreras isn’t catching that day — as options at designated hitter. Adams used to play the outfield, and maybe still could, but he hasn’t this year.
The weirdest option would be to call up Luis Lara, giving the Brewers a chance to get an early look at one of their top prospects. Unlike Williams and Adams, Lara has already signed a long-term extension with Milwaukee, so there wouldn’t be the same service time/arbitration considerations. However, calling up Lara instead of an infielder would leave the Brewers without an established backup at third base. Maybe they’d be willing to give Andrew Vaughn — or even Sal Frelick — a few innings there, but that seems out of character for a club that has consistently prioritized run prevention above all else.
Finally, there’s a world where the Brewers call up Jesús Made to play third base, but it probably isn’t this one. While Made has been excellent overall, he’s posted an .800 OPS in Double-A this season, and it’s hard to imagine the Brewers risking the development of baseball’s No. 1 prospect for what could amount to a short-term fill-in role.
The same logic applies to Andrew Fischer, who — despite his incredible production — still strikes out often enough to potentially give the Brewers pause. Then again, Fischer’s slash line hasn’t suffered because of the swing-and-miss, and there aren’t many prospects more advanced than he is at the plate. If Milwaukee were to make a truly aggressive move, maybe they’d call him up? Maybe?
As with Williams and Adams, calling up either player would require a path to regular playing time, and based on what Murphy has said throughout the season, I don’t see that happening this year.
—————
Other than Williams and Leonard, the Sounds’ top offensive performer this week was Luis Matos, who has put together several strong weeks since being designated for assignment and accepting an outright assignment to Nashville earlier this season. His overall numbers (.261 average, .729 OPS) aren’t eye-popping, but he’s been a consistently productive bat for the Sounds. He’s also still just 24 years old (until next January), leaving the door open for him to become a useful major-league piece if things click.
As for the pitching staff, RHP Lyon Richardson pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits while striking out and walking five batters each. Richardson, a second-round pick in 2018, was designated for assignment by the Reds in June and signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers on June 10th. He’s allowed just two runs in 15.1 innings with Nashville.
Coleman Crow, who went on the IL with a flexor strain about a month ago, went three shutout innings in his first rehab appearance. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three. Logan Henderson, also rehabbing, went 3 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out four.
Double-A Biloxi Shuckers
Current record: 43-34
Record this week: 4-2
This week’s opponent: vs. Chattanooga Lookouts
Next week’s opponent: @ Knoxville Smokies
Standout performances:
Matthew Wood: 10-for-21, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
Mike Boeve: 9-for-24, 3 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Josiah Ragsdale: 6-for-17, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 10 BB, 3 K
Andrew Fischer: 7-for-20, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB, 6 K
Jesús Made: 6-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Jack Seppings: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Jaron DeBerry: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Bishop Letson: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Andrew Fischer has played sixteen Double-A games. He’s hit eight home runs, bringing him to 28 homers on the season. It’s July 6th.
Fischer is currently slashing .288/.439/.827 in Biloxi. No, that’s not a typo, .827 is his slugging percentage. Enough said.
Jesús Made hit .300 on the week, adding a homer and only striking out three times. His .800 OPS isn’t eye-popping, but he’s hitting .283 with eight homers in Double-A at nineteen years old. Can’t complain about that production from the consensus best prospect in baseball.
Josiah Ragsdale continues to hit, adding a home run and a couple doubles to his season tally while walking an impressive ten times. Mike Boeve also stayed hot, going 9-for-24 (.375) with three doubles and just one strikeout.
Speaking of highly regarded corner infield prospects, Blake Burke only played in one game this week, but he certainly made the most of it. Burke went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a (480-foot) home run, and seven RBIs. That’s… pretty good. His season OPS is now up to .905.
On the mound, Jack Seppings and Jaron DeBerry both turned in solid outings. Seppings allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings, while DeBerry struck out 10 over six innings despite allowing three earned runs. Bishop Letson (5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) and Manuel Rodriguez (6.0 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), on the other hand, both struggled a little more. Even so, Letson’s ERA over his last five starts still sits at a respectable 3.21, so he’s been pitching much better recently than he did earlier in the season.
High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Current record: 45-31
Record this week: 4-2
This week’s opponent: @ Peoria Chiefs
Next week’s opponent: vs. Beloit Sky Carp
Standout performances:
Tyler Rodriguez: 8-for-24, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K
Tayden Hall: 7-for-21, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K
Daniel Dickinson: 5-for-16, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 7 BB, 6 K
Luiyin Alastre: 4-for-13, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Ethan Dorchies: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Jayden Dubanewicz: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Peyton Niksch: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Josh Knoth: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
This week was a great week for the T-Rats, as Daniel Dickinson, Tayden Hall, Marco Dinges, Luiyin Alastre, and Tyler Rodriguez all hit over .300.
Dickinson, last year’s sixth-round pick, is slashing .295/.463/.459 over the last month (61 at-bats) after somewhat of a slow start to the season. Meanwhile, Dinges — who also started a bit slow — is now slashing .340/.459/.660 in the same timespan. Eric Bitonti (No. 23) has struggled to hit for average for much of his career, but he’s also turned things around recently. In his last 83 at-bats, Bitonti has posted a .277/.390/.446 line with four home runs.
Wisconsin has a few highly-regarded pitching prospects who have all had slow starts to the season. Ethan Dorchies (No. 18) still has an ERA north of five, but he went six strong innings in his last start, allowing just one earned run on four hits while fanning seven. Jayden Dubanewicz (No. 25) also impressed, allowing six hits but limiting the Chiefs to a single run over six innings.
Peyton Niksch (5 IP, ER, 0 BB, 6K) and Wande Torres (7 IP, 8 H, ER, BB, 10 K) also impressed on the rubber this week. Josh Knoth (No. 22) made two starts, allowing four total earned runs on eight hits, but still has just a 3.14 ERA over his first eight starts since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Single-A Wilson Warbirds
Current record: 43-38
Record this week: 3-3
This week’s opponent: vs. Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
Next week’s opponent: vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers
Standout performances:
Handelfry Encarnacion: 7-for-20, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K
Alexander Frias: 5-for-23, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K
Miqueas Mercedes: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Joey Broughton: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Jarrette Bonet: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Hayden Robinson: 7.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 7 K
Carlos Carra: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Handelfry Encarnacion hit .350 with a pair of home runs this week, bringing him to ten on the season. He struck out just twice — the same number of times he homered — and is now hitting .255 with an .882 OPS on the season. Jaydn Fielder had just seven at-bats, but went 5-f0r-7 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored. and a couple RBIs. Brady Ebel (4-for-22 with a home run) cooled off after going 7-for-16 last week. He’s now hit home runs in each of the last two weeks.
Outfielder Alexander Frias (No. 29), whom the Brewers signed during the 2025 international signing period, has impressed since being promoted to Wilson on June 23. Frias hit .441 in the Arizona Complex League before earning the promotion and has already shown some extra base impact. While his overall numbers with the Warbirds (.250 average, one home run, three doubles) don’t jump off the page, there are plenty of encouraging signs; he’s worth watching as he settles into Single-A.
As for the pitching staff, a couple of the usual suspects — Miqueas Mercedes and Jarrette Bonet — both put together great starts. Both pitchers have ERAs under 4 on the season. Hayden Robinson (2.84 ERA this month), Carlos Carra, and Joey Broughton also all pitched well; Broughton recorded four shutout innings with just a single hit allowed.
Player of the Week
Andrew Fischer has made this award boring.
Four more home runs would normally be enough to earn Player of the Week honors, but Fischer has been so consistently ridiculous this season that it’s worth recognizing someone else. That someone is Mike Boeve, who — as I mentioned above — has quietly been one of the hottest hitters in the Brewers’ system for more than a month.
Boeve went 9-for-24 with three doubles this week and is now hitting .400 over his last 85 at-bats with 10 extra-base hits. He entered the season outside the Brewers’ top 30 prospects, but he’s beginning to force his way back into that conversation. The power isn’t on Fischer’s level, but that’s not saying much. Boeve’s bat-to-ball skills have always been impressive, and if this recent surge is the beginning of a more complete offensive profile, he suddenly becomes a much more intriguing player than he was a few months ago.
Play of the Week
This is usually a defensive award, but — in case you forgot — Blake Burke hit a 480-foot home run.
