Brewers send struggling shortstop Arcia to Triple-A
The Milwaukee Brewers optioned shortstop Orlando Arcia to Triple-A on Friday, recalling infielder Eric Sogard to take his place on the big-league roster.
Arcia, 23, leads all major-league shortstops with nine defensive runs saved. The problem, however, is that his bat has been all but silent in May. Mired in a 2-for-29 stretch, the Brewers determined that his expert defense was not enough to keep him in the majors. The team sees this as a chance for him to reset on the offensive side of the ball.
"I believe we're our best team when he's the shortstop," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But you've got to provide something on the offensive end. He has shown he can do better. This is an attempt to get him back to that."
He took a step back in his development after a solid season in 2017. Arcia batted .277/.324/.407 (89 OPS+) with 15 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 153 games a year ago.
His replacement, Sogard, wasn't any better over the 28 games he spent with the Brewers earlier this season. He hit .100/.194/.150 over 68 plate appearances, and only saw marginal improvement at the plate (.229 batting average) in 11 games in the minors.
Arcia has been considered one of the team's future pieces for some time. He was the team's top prospect, 12th in MLB, as recently as 2015.