The Brewers announced that they have recalled infielder Cooper Pratt, a move that was reported a couple of days ago. In a corresponding move, infielder Luis Rengifo has been designated for assignment.
Milwaukee took a bounceback flier on Rengifo in the offseason. He had a solid run with the Angels from 2022 to 2024, slashing .273/.323/.431 for a 111 wRC+ while playing every position except for first base and the battery. He had a downturn at the plate in 2025, hitting just .238/.287/.335 for a 73 wRC+. That was particularly poor timing, as that swoon occurred just before he became a free agent.
The Brewers gave him a $3.5MM guarantee on a one-year deal with a mutual option and incentives. Obviously, they hoped that Rengifo could put his rough season behind him and get back on track. Unfortunately, he’s gotten even worse. In 209 trips to the plate, he has a .205/.280/.254 line and 53 wRC+. Part of that is due to a .233 batting average on balls in play but Rengifo also didn’t hit a home run as a Brewer.
That performance has prompted the club to move on. Rengifo now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Brewers could take as long as five days to explore trade interest. Given his performance and his contract, there shouldn’t be too much interest. Rengifo has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency while keeping his salary in place. The Brewers might skip that formality and just release him.
One way or another, he’s likely to be on the open market in the coming week. Assuming that comes to pass, the Brewers will be on the hook for the remainder of the money. Another club could sign him for the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Brewers pay.
More to come.
