When the Brewers (re-)acquired Felipe Lopez in the days following Rickie Weeks’ ankle injury, I wrote that at the very least, it was a low-risk move that could up paying dividends.
As it turns out, Lopez never provided much for the Brewers in his second trip through Milwaukee. He was designated for assignment Sunday afternoon to make room for Chris Narveson, who will be starting one of the games in Monday’s double header.
It’s a move that didn’t work out, but not one that’s necessarily bad. The Brewers only had to give Tampa Bay cash in the deal, and Lopez really didn’t play all that much once it became clear he no longer had the quick bat that made him so valuable in 2009 (he made just one start in the past week).
Lopez wasn’t hitting, and defensively he lagged behind Jerry Hairston and Josh Wilson (use single-season and partial-season UZR and DRS numbers at your own risk, but he was far behind both). Factor in Craig Counsell, and the Brewers had a stockpile of average-ish defenders that could play second base, even if they aren’t big threats with the bat. As a guy who was struggling to be average in both areas, Lopez was the easy choice to go when the Brewers needed the roster spot.
There’s always the chance that he sticks around and is added again for depth when the rosters expand, but as mentioned, his presence would be a bit redundant — not to mention that Eric Farris could be called up and produce just as much, and Weeks figures to return sometime in September.
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