The Brewers put it Luis Rengifo on the release, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. He will likely go unclaimed and become a free agent within the next 48 hours.
Milwaukee signed Rengifo to a $3.5MM reinvestment contract in February. The switch hitter was coming off a .238/.287/.335 season in his final year with the Angels. The Brewers hoped he would return to something close to his .273/.323/.431 batting line between 2022-24. They added Rengifo shortly after the trade Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox to find out Kyle Harrisonhopefully a veteran can cheaply replace some of their lost product at third base.
While the Brewers have no regrets about that trade, the next signing didn’t pan out. Rengifo’s bat continued to improve, as he hit .205/.280/.254 with no runs in 209 games for Milwaukee. He had the best hitting streak and profile of his career, but most of his contact was down.
Milwaukee’s third position has been a problem all season. They hit .237/.304/.301 with an MLB-worst one homer in 299 trips to the plate. That’s because of Rengifo, as David Hamilton has a serviceable .294/.341/.388 line while playing the hot corner. Hamilton hasn’t played well as a shortstop and is hitting a below-average .236/.317/.326 overall. He is now in a group Joey Ortizwho was released from shortstop with the promotion of Cooper Pratt. The weakest point in Milwaukee’s starting lineup and something they could try to add in the offseason.
Assuming he clears waivers, Rengifo will remain on Milwaukee’s books until the end of the season. They will pay his $1.5MM salary and pay him a $2MM buyout option at the end of the year. The team that signs him will pay him an estimated minimum of $780K for any time he spends in the Majors. Rengifo however may be limited to minor league programs, as he is a .229/.285/.313 hitter in his past 750 plate appearances.
