Brewers Promote Vaughn After Hoskins Injury

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers promoted former Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn on Monday, filling the vacancy left by Rhys Hoskins, who was placed on the injured list with a sprained left thumb.

Hoskins’ injury occurred during a game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday. He has been assigned to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday. “It can be weeks, not days,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He was good today, much better today. So hopefully he’s on the shorter end of that.”

To fill Hoskins’ spot, the Brewers called up Vaughn, who was acquired in a trade that sent pitcher Aaron Civale to the White Sox. At the Triple-A Nashville affiliate, Vaughn had been performing well, hitting .259 with a .338 on-base percentage, three homers, and 16 RBIs in 16 games.

“I feel like my swing consistency’s been a lot better — swing decisions, just working in the cage and getting it right,” Vaughn said before the Brewers began a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “There were some keys I worked on, just simple things.”

Vaughn, 27, previously hit 72 homers for the White Sox from 2021-24, but faced struggles recently. Last year, he recorded a career-low .699 OPS. He batted .189 with a .218 on-base percentage in 48 games for Chicago before being sent to the minors in May.

Murphy expressed optimism about Vaughn’s potential impact. “A few years ago, he was a force and a hitter you didn’t want to face every day,” he said. “Sometimes a new environment, learning that lesson, people respond all the time to failures. … Hopefully he’s in that mindset.”

As Vaughn joins the roster, Jake Bauers, who has a .214 batting average and five homers this season, will continue to play at first base during Hoskins’ absence. Meanwhile, Hoskins, who is 32, has been hitting .242 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs this year.

In related Brewers news, shortstop Joey Ortiz remained out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive game, as he works on improving his performance after a rough outing.

Brewers players and fans are now focused on the upcoming series while monitoring Hoskins’ recovery as the team aims for a playoff berth.