THE MISSILE
The Milwaukee Brewers love a good reclamation project. As president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. “We’re the land of opportunity.”
And the team rolled the dice once again recently, when they acquired outfielder Luis Matos from the San Francisco Giants on March 30th.
A former Top 100 prospect in baseball as recently as 2022, Matos was originally signed by the Giants out of Venezuela in 2018 for a reported $725,000, and he tore through San Francisco’s system, despite losing the 2020 season to COVID.
After posting an .853 OPS and winning Low-A West Most Valuable Player honors at Single-A San Jose in 2021, Matos was selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League following the 2022 season, and continued to climb, making his MLB debut a year later, suiting up for the Giants on June 14th, 2023, at just 21 years of age.
In 76 games during his rookie season with San Francisco, Matos hit .250 with 13 doubles and a pair of home runs. He started the 2024 season in the Giants outfield, but got off to a slow start, and rather than have him ride the pine at the big league level, San Francisco made the call to option him back down to Triple-A Sacramento, where he could get more regular playing time. He had better luck there, slugging 14 home runs, but he hit just five over the course of 45 games with the Giants.
2025 was a similar story, with Matos splitting time between San Francisco and Sacramento, and despite adding on some muscle, that led to a career-high eight home runs, Matos still hit just .221 in 57 MLB contests and found himself fighting for a job.
He showed flashes of breaking out this spring, hitting .260, with five of his 13 hits going for extra bases, including a pair of Cactus League home runs, but just prior to Opening Day, the Giants opted to designate Matos for assignment to free up a spot on their 40-man roster.
That’s when the Brewers came calling.
With injuries to Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn, Milwaukee needed another right-handed bat in their lineup, and swung a deal with the Giants to acquire Matos in exchange for cash.
Still just 24 years old, with loads of potential, the Brewers are hoping they can tap into some of that and catch lightning in a bottle the way that they did when they acquired Vaughn from the White Sox last season.
“I’m excited for this new opportunity,” Matos said. “I know this is a great team…and a young team.”
Known for being able to put the ball in play, Matos has struggled to make hard contact and drive the baseball, and while he hasn’t struck out a ton, he also hasn’t walked much either. With a career OPS of just .645 over 182 games, the hope is that Matos can give Milwaukee a spark, despite getting limited game action.
With strong bat-to-ball skills, a solid arm, decent speed and a high baseball IQ, there’s plenty to work with, and in his first start for Milwaukee, on Easter Sunday in Kansas City, he got a chance to show off some of those tools in right field, when he gunned down Bobby Witt, Jr. at the plate on a throw that was clocked at 93.4 MPH.
He also collected his first hit as a Brewer in that game against the Royals, and though it was the only hit Matos has recorded through his first nine at-bats with the Crew, there should be more opportunities to come as Milwaukee looks to see if they can bring another former top prospect back from the scrapheap.
• In need of some help in their rotation early in the year, the Brewers turned to young lefty Shane Drohan, who was called up earlier in the week, and made his MLB debut against his former team, the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
Drohan lasted just 2.2 innings and was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs, but it was more bad luck than bad pitching that did him in. A bloop base hit, infield single and a misplay at second base, all contributed to Drohan’s tough luck, but he showed that he is capable of getting out at the big league level.
• The Brewers got some bad news on the injury front, when reliever Rob Zastryzny was diagnosed with an intercostal strain following a recent rehab stint with Nashville. Zastryzny is now hoping for a return in late April or early May. The news is better for second baseman Brice Turang however. After missing the last two games with tendinitis in his left ankle, Turang is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Washington.
• The Brew Crew is back home tonight to begin a six-game homestand, starting with three games against the Washington Nationals. After dropping their last two in Boston, the Brewers currently sit a 8-4, and remain in first place in the National League Central, a half game up on the Cincinnati Reds. The Nats have also dropped their last two, and are currently in the basement of the NL East with a 4-8 record. Chad Patrick takes the mound for the Brewers this evening, going up against right-hander Jake Irvin. Kyle Harrison is scheduled to make the start on Saturday for the Brewers, with Brandon Woodruff going in the finale on Sunday.
After an off day on Monday, the Brewers welcome Toronto to town for three games, beginning on Tuesday night. The Blue Jays are currently 5-7, with star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and shortstop Andres Gimenez leading the way. Newcomer Kazuma Okamoto had also provided some thump to the Jays lineup, and starters Dylan Cease and Kevin Gausman have helped lead a strong Toronto rotation.
• At Double-A Beloit, young phenom Jesus Made had an Easter Sunday to remember, going 4-for-5 and launching his first home run of the season for the Shuckers. Still just 18 years old, Made continues to show why he is considered one of the best prospects in baseball, sporting a 1.082 OPS through his first six games.
• Made’s teammate, first baseman Blake Burke, has been equally as hot, smashing six home runs in his first six games to start the year. The former Tennessee Volunteer slugged two home runs on Opening Day, another on Easter Sunday, one more in the Shuckers’ home opener against Pensacola, and then added two more to his total last evening.
• Coming off of a really strong start to the 2026 season, left-hander Robert Gasser has recently been sidelined due to some soreness in his bicep and triceps area. Per Curt Hogg from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gasser was scheduled to throw a side session sometime this week, and results must have been positive, as Gasser is now listed as tonight’s starter for the Sounds.
• Left-handed pitcher Sammy Peralta, who was designated for assignment when the Brewers traded for Matos last week, was claimed off waivers by Colorado Rockies on Saturday. Milwaukee also bid adieu to outfielder Steward Berroa, dealing him to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash. Berroa, who was designated for assignment when the Brewers added Cooper Pratt to their 40-man roster, appeared in just two games for Nashville this season before being dealt
• The Triple-A Nashville Sounds had dropped two in a row before knocking off Gwinnett (Braves) last night. The Sounds are currently in fifth place in the International League West Division, with a 6-5 record. They have three more games in Gwinnett, before returning home next Tuesday to begin a series with the Worcester Red Sox.
• Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers, have taken three straight from Pensacola (Marlins), thanks in large part to a stacked lineup that has been on fire as of late. The Shuckers sit atop the Southern League South Division with a 4-2 record and have three more against the Blue Wahoos, before hitting the road next week to begin a six-game set against the Columbus Clingstones (Braves).
• Despite some lousy weather conditions to start the year, the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have managed to win three of their first five games, putting them in a first place tie with the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins) in the Midwest League West. The Rattlers have three games left in their series in Quad Cities (Royals), before making their way back home next week to take on the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals) for six games.
• The young Wilson Warbirds have yet to find their footing, dropping four of their first six games, and losing all three in their series against Salem (Red Sox) so far. They’ve got three more with the RidgeYaks as they look to split the series, then get to make their long-awaited home debut next week, when the Hill City Howlers (Guardians) help break in Wilson Ballpark next Tuesday night.
• Former Milwaukee Brewers Manager Davey Lopes passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80. A four-time MLB All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner as a player, Lopes took over as Manager of the Brewers in 2000, and went 144-195 during two-plus seasons at the helm. He was replaced by Jerry Royster early in the 2002 season, during a tough stretch of Brewers baseball, but is one of just 20 people to hold the title of Manager throughout the Brewers team history.
• On a brighter note, one former Brewers who is enjoying a strong start to his season, is infielder Vinny Capra, who saw time with Milwaukee in 2024 & 2025. Currently playing for Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, the Worcester Red Sox, Capra is slashing .348/.545/.739 with a pair of home runs, as he looks to earn his way back to the big leagues.