Brewers First Baseman Shockingly Goes Unclaimed On Waivers; Sent Outright

Infielder Keston Hiura has been outrighted to Triple-A Nashville by the Milwaukee Brewers after clearing waivers earlier this week.

The move came after Hiura was designated for assignment and informed that he would not be on the Brewers' Opening Day roster.

Keston Hiura is staying with the Brewers. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville. It is his first career outright assignment, so he can’t yet elect free agency.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) March 28, 2023

Despite being a former top prospect and potential trade target, Hiura did not attract any waiver-wire interest from other teams. This was surprising given his potential and young age of 26.

In the 2022 season, Hiura played 80 games for the Brewers and had a slash line of .226/.316/.449 with 14 home runs, 32 RBI, 34 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 266 plate appearances.

However, he has struggled with high strikeout rates in the majors, leading to his demotion to Triple-A.

Keston Hiura STAYS✅

The longtime Brewer successfully makes it to AAA and stays with the organization pic.twitter.com/vmRNiCxHm5

— IKE Brewers Podcast (@IKE_Brewers) March 28, 2023

This is the first time in his career that Hiura has been designated for assignment, and as a result, he does not have the right to refuse the outright assignment. He will remain with the Brewers organization for now and earn a salary of $2.2 million in 2023.

While he may return to the big-league roster later this year, it will likely be in a part-time role. Hiura will have the opportunity to regain his form in the minor leagues and potentially attract trade interest later in the year. Photo Credit:  Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports