MILWAUKEE (AP) — Andrew Vaughn is back in the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers and making quite an early impression with his new team.
Milwaukee promoted Vaughn from the minors when first baseman Rhys Hoskins was placed on the injured list Monday with a sprained left thumb. In his first at-bat with the Brewers, the former Chicago White Sox first baseman and outfielder hit a three-run homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Los Angeles Dodgers' All-Star right-hander.
Vaughn became the fifth player in franchise history to homer in his first plate appearance with the club, and first since Gabe Gross in 2006.
Hoskins’ assignment to the 10-day IL was retroactive to Sunday. He sprained the thumb Saturday in a 4-2 loss at Miami.
“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.”
Milwaukee filled Hoskins' spot on the roster by calling up Vaughn, acquired in a June 13 trade that sent pitcher Aaron Civale to the White Sox. Vaughn had been hitting .259 with a .338 on-base percentage, three homers and 16 RBIs in 16 games with the Brewers’ Triple-A Nashville affiliate.
That represented a major step forward after his struggles with the White Sox.
“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 started a three-game series against the Dodgers. “There were some keys I worked on, just simple things. Don’t want to do a whole revamp of the swing because it’s probably impossible during the season, most hitters would say. Just small keys and getting it right.”
The 27-year-old Vaughn hit 72 homers for the White Sox from 2021-24, but had tailed off lately. He posted a .699 OPS last year that was a career low at the time. He followed that up by batting .189 with a .218 on-base percentage, five homers and 19 RBIs in 48 games for Chicago before getting sent to the minors on May 23.
He was hitting .211 with a .328 on-base percentage, two homers and 11 RBIs in 15 games with Chicago’s Triple-A Charlotte affiliate at the time of the trade.
“A few years ago, he was a force and a hitter you didn’t want to face every day, you know what I mean?" Murphy said. “He was a guy that could get you a base hit and hit a double into the gap, hit the ball hard. Obviously (he) fell on tough times, but sometimes a new environment, learning that lesson, people respond all the time to failures. … Hopefully he’s in that mindset.”
Vaughn gives the Brewers a right-handed option to pair with left-handed hitter Jake Bauers at first base while Hoskins is out. Bauers, 29, is batting .214 with a .331 on-base percentage, five homers and 18 RBIs in 54 games this season.
Hoskins, 32, has hit .242 with a .340 on-base percentage, 12 homers and 42 RBIs in 82 games.
In other Brewers news, shortstop Joey Ortiz was held out of the starting lineup for a second straight game after going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts Saturday. Ortiz is hitting .209 with a .269 on-base percentage, six homers and 28 RBIs in 87 games this season, though he showed progress by posting a .748 OPS in June.
Murphy said Ortiz has been swinging better lately, but must make better swing decisions.
“I want him to give me his best approach at the plate," Murphy said. “We've given him a lot. We're playing him every day, and we need him, and he can't just have lapses at the plate like that. He's got to fight through that.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
