Blake

Perkins

With the Brewers already locked into a playoff spot and all but assured to be the third-seed, it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to give their starters some days off over the final days of the season. Garrett Mitchell will move to right field on Thursday with Blake Perkins entering the starting lineup in center field and batting sixth.

Perkins has stolen 22 bases on the year. The two hits are a welcome site after he had just three hits in September of his 39 at-bats. The real-life value Perkins provides with his defense and speed is considerable. The fantasy value is limited to essentially the one category.

Perkins spent the minimum amount of time on the IL with a calf injury and will now return to a role as a bench outfielder in Milwaukee. He has a .257/.330/.363 slash line with six long balls, 34 RBI, and 17 stolen bases over 318 plate appearances with the Brewers this season. Tyler Black was sent down to make room on the active roster.

This is the third time the 24-year-old has been sent to the minors this season. He had started the last two games but had hit just 2-for-15 in six games during this stint with the Brewers. His speed is a clear asset but it’s becoming tough to feel confident that he’ll hit enough to stick at the MLB level. Blake Perkins will take his spot on the active roster.

There’s growing optimism that Perkins could be able to return from the injured list as soon as he’s eligible to do so. The 27-year-old outfielder has hit .257/.330/.363 with six long balls, 34 RBI and 17 stolen bases over 318 plate appearances with the Brewers this season.

Perkins’ injury probably means that Garrett Mitchell will play versus lefties as well as righties, giving him fantasy value a boost. Perkins’ offense has fallen off recently, but he’ll be missed; he’s been quite valuable for the Brewers this season while playing some of the best center field in the league.

Tyler Black has joined the Brewers and would be added to the roster if Perkins does land on the IL. Perkins has mostly played against lefties of late, and Garrett Mitchell might take those responsibilities, in addition to his duties against righties, while Perkins is out.

It seemed like Black would get more of a look this time around, but after four games in which he collected three hits and three walks, the Brewers glued him to the bench for the entire last week. Now they’ll be creating a logjam in the outfield by activating Mitchell while keeping Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins around. Jackson Chourio has turned into a fixture in right, so the Brewers will be choosing between Mitchell, Frelick, Perkins and Jake Bauers for two lineup spots each day. That’s not a great fantasy value situation for Mitchell, though his upside is very much present.

The 27-year-old outfielder dropped a two-out, two-run single into left field off of Michael King in the second inning that extended the Brewers’ lead to 3-0. He then raced around to score on Brice Turang’s RBI triple. With his two hits on the afternoon, Perkins is now hitting .248/.321/.367 with five homers, 23 RBI and 10 swipes through 65 games on the season.

After knocking a double in the second inning, Perkins extended the Brewers’ lead with a two-run homer off Shota Imanaga in the third. The 27-year-old outfielder is hitting .232/.318/.361 with five homers, 25 runs scored, and five steals across 176 plate appearances. Perkins, a switch hitter, has fared much better against right-handed pitching, with all five home runs coming off righties.