Brewers: 6 promoted from Biloxi to fill injury gaps
By Phil Watson
The Milwaukee Brewers promoted six players from Double-A Biloxi on Tuesday. The Shuckers just finished their season Monday night, losing to Chattanooga in the Southern League Championship Series.
Right-handers Yhonathan Barrios, Adrian Houser, Jorge Lopez and Tyler Wagner were promoted along with infielder Yadiel Rivera and outfielder Michael Reed, per MLB.com.
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To make room on the 40-man roster—now full—the Brewers placed right-handers Michael Blazek and Jimmy Nelson on the 60-day disabled list.
Of the six, Wagner is the only one with previous major league experience. He was called up for a start on May 31, working 3.2 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts while taking a no-decision in a 17-inning, 7-6 victory for Milwaukee.
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A fourth-round pick out of the University of Utah in 2012, Wagner, 24, was 11-5 for Biloxi with a 2.25 ERA and 1.149 WHIP in 25 starts and 152.1 innings, striking out 120.
Barrios, 23, was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates July 23 in exchange for third baseman Aramis Ramirez.
He had a 3.15 ERA and 1.350 WHIP in 16 appearances for the Shuckers, earning six saves and striking out 16 in 20 innings.
Barrios began the season at Double-A Altoona, where he had a 1.46 ERA and 1.054 WHIP in 20 appearances and 24.2 innings, saving 10 games and striking out 12.
At Triple-A Indianapolis, he posted a 4.60 ERA and 1.723 ERA in 13 appearances and 15.2 innings with nine strikeouts.
Barrios was signed by the Pirates out of Colombia as a shortstop in May 2009 and was converted to the mound in 2013.
Houser, 22, becomes the second of four players acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for center fielder Carlos Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers on July 30 to reach the majors, joining outfielder Domingo Santana.
He was 4-1 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.054 WHIP in seven starts at Biloxi, striking out 32 in 37 innings. He began the season at Advanced-A Lancaster, going 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.369 WHIP in eight starts and four relief appearances covering 49.2 innings with 55 strikeouts.
At Double-A Corpus Christi, he was 1-2 with a 6.21 ERA and 1.620 ERA in five starts and two relief outings, fanning 23 in 33.1 innings.
He was a second-round pick by the Astros out of Locust Grove (Okla.) High School in 2011.
Lopez, 22, was the Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year award winner after going 12-5 with a 2.26 ERA and 1.095 WHIP in 24 starts for the Shuckers, striking out 137 in 143.1 innings.
He was a second-round pick out of Caguas (Puerto Rico) Military Academy in 2011.
Rivera, 23, played in 52 games at Biloxi, hitting .277/.345/.3275 with 23 runs, nine doubles, three triples, a home run and 16 RBI, striking out 30 times. He spent 81 games at Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he hit .238/.266/.303 with 32 runs, eight doubles, four triples, a homer and 28 RBI with 53 strikeouts.
He was selected in the ninth round out of Manuela Toro High School in Caguas, Puerto Rico, in 2010.
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Reed split the season between the Shuckers and Sky Sox, hitting .278/.379/.422 in 93 games at Biloxi, with 43 runs, 20 doubles, five triple, five home runs, 49 RBI and 80 strikeouts.
At Colorado Springs, he hit .246/.351/.381 in 38 games, scoring 19 runs with 13 doubles, two triples, 21 RBI and 31 whiffs.
The 22-year-old was a fifth-round draft pick out of Leander (Texas) High School in 2011.
The Brewers have dealt with several injuries in recent days, with Nelson out for the year after being hit in the head with a line drive, Ryan Braun touch-and-go with a bad back and Elian Herrera recovering from a deep thigh bruise after a nasty collision with outfielder Shane Peterson last week.
Milwaukee will have some roster crunching to do in the offseason to get Blazek and Nelson back on the 40-man list and make a spot for top prospect Orlando Arcia, who needs to be protected from the Rule 5 draft this winter.
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