The Milwaukee Brewers have optioned outfielder Joey Wiemer and pitcher Aaron Ashby to Triple-A Nashville. They’ve also reassigned infielder Christian Arroyo to minor league camp; Arroyo has an opt-out clause and can become a free agent.
The top four in the outfield have looked to be pretty secure for most of the spring, with Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Jackson Chourio (who the team officially announced would make the team today).
But whether the team would carry five outfielders, and who that fifth outfielder would be, has been a question for several weeks.
By optioning Joey Wiemer, that suggests that either defensive ace Blake Perkins will be the fifth outfielder, or the team will opt for more offensive options by carrying both Eric Haase and Jake Bauers.
Two of those three players will make the squad, given that Milwaukee currently has 14 offensive players left, as reported by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Wiemer has had a disappointing spring, coming off a season in which he played excellent defense but struggled mightily at the plate.
At just 25 years old, Wiemer still has a chance to be a good major league player, and some additional seasoning as an everyday player in the minor leagues may be good for him.
He will surely be back up with the Brewers should one of their regular outfielders get injured.
