Top Brewers prospect Tyler Black will miss the first six to eight weeks of the season after suffering a hamate fracture in his right hand, reports Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Black competed for a roster spot in spring training but was optioned on March 22.
Black, 24, was the No. 33 overall pick in the 2021 draft and made a brief MLB debut last season, hitting .204/.316/.245 in just 57 plate appearances. He posted a more encouraging .258/.374/.429 slash (114 wRC+) in 462 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, bringing his career line in two seasons there to a strong .272/.389/.452.
Generally considered a bat-first prospect, Black has walked in at least 13.2% of his plate appearances at every minor league stop and has gone down on strikes in just 17.3% of his Triple-A plate appearances — well shy of the league average. Black has never topped 18 homers in a season, but he makes excellent contact, draws walks in bulk and is adept at hitting the ball to all fields. He projects as a plus hitter but not necessarily a pure slugger — more of a gap-to-gap bat who can post premium on-base marks thanks to his keen eye and outstanding pitch recognition.
Defensively, Black carries less certainty. He’s played all over the diamond as the Brewers have tried to find him a home, starting out at second base but now having logged time at both infield corners and around the outfield as well. He’s a plus runner who stole 55 bases in the minors as recently as 2023, but Black has yet to settle into one spot. That could lead to a multi-position role, or the Brewers could simply install him at first base when he’s ready for a full-time look. Rhys Hoskins is only signed through the current season.
For now, Black’s path to regular playing time in the majors will be stalled for what looks like a period of multiple months. Once healthy, Black will probably need a bit of time to get back on track in Nashville. Hand injuries — hamate fractures, in particular — can at times sap a player’s power in the weeks/months after his immediate return, though because Black isn’t entirely reliant on home runs for his offensive output, perhaps that won’t be quite so glaring an issue if it happens in his case.
For now, the Brewers’ infield includes Hoskins at first base, Brice Turang at second, Joey Ortiz at shortstop and a collection of Oliver Dunn, Vinny Capra and perhaps Isaac Collins at the hot corner. None of Capra, Dunn or Collins has any real big league track record at this point. Depending on their production and the health of the rest of the infield, Black could be a candidate in a variety of roles once he’s recovered.
Probably part of the reason why Collins made the team over him
You guys remember that show Millenium?
Yes, the X-Files spinoff with Lance Henriksen that required a strong suspension of disbelief.
It wasn’t a spinoff of the X files. It was just another Chris Carter show.
Pardon…yeah-not a spin-off, just a crossover with Henriksen. That show and X-Files seems remarkably balanced compared to a sizable of portion of Americans today.
… what
He won’t be back with the brewers till mid to late july
How did he break it?
YES. Some actual reporting would be good to see here.
Guess these folks are just repeaters, not reporters.
Journalism 101 = Who, What. When, Where, Why and HOW !!
Shut up.
This is (primarily) a baseball news aggregate site that cite other sports journalism. You new here?
So how was he injured??
Aka Seth Rollins
Did I not read the story on where somebody believes he was hurt at some point? Need Ueck to cure him now.
How did he break it??
Wife dropped a suitcase on his hand
ALLIE 53 saw the headline and couldn’t wait to come comment until he realized Black wasn’t what he was hoping for.
He’s a great hitter with speed so they might be planning a team where positions don’t matter for him.
This sucks. I’m a former Wright State baseball player and it was very cool seeing Tyler go so high in the draft. The highest one of our position players was ever drafted, and the second-highest in program history (LHP Brian Anderson was the #3 overall pick of the 1993 draft).
Reds fan here, but I’ve always liked the Brew Crew … except, you know, when they’re playing the Reds. Lol. I hope T-Black gets back healthy relatively soon and is raking for you guys. Except when … ha, you know.