Boston Red Sox Trade News: Brewers infielder to call Fenway home after deadline day move

Urías, 26, seemed to be establishing himself as a solid part of Milwaukee’s staff over the previous two seasons. In 2021 and 2022, he launched 39 home runs and batted a combined 24.4%, .340 and 42.6% with a wRC+ of 111. This year, however, was a different story altogether.

He was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain after the first game of the season and could only return on June 5. Over the next three-plus weeks, he batted just .145/.299/.236 with a 60 wRC+. A .179 batting average on balls in play didn’t do him any favors, but his exit velocity, hard hit rate, and slugging rate were all down a bit. That cold streak was pronounced enough that the Brewers sent him to the minor leagues, his first time being sent down since he was a Padre in 2019. Things haven’t gotten much better at Triple-A, as he’s hitting .233/.345/.379 at that level this year with an 84 wRC+.

Shortly after acquiring Urías, the Sox assigned him to Triple-A, so he will serve as a backup infielder for the time being. Depth in the infield has been an ongoing concern in Boston this year since Trevor Story had to undergo offseason elbow surgery. He has yet to make his season debut and is currently on a rehab assignment. Enrique Hernández came over from the outfield to take over the shortstop position, but the experiment didn’t work out and he was traded to the Dodgers.

For now, the club has a mix of Yu Chang, Pablo Reyes, Christian Arroyo and Justin Turner in the middle. Urías will join Bobby Dalbec among the depth options who are on the 40-man roster but currently stashed at Triple-A. Urías has one more option year beyond this one, but may end up not being signed since he will be due a raise in this year’s $4.7 million salary.

In exchange for a player who was out of their plans, the Brewers will receive Blalock. The 22-year-old was selected in the 32nd round by the Red Sox in 2019. He managed to get some professional experience in 2019 and 2021, with the pandemic canceling the minor leagues in 2020. Then his 2022 year was wrecked by Tommy John surgery, which cost him another year of development.

Here in 2023, he’s putting himself back on the prospect map. He made 11 starts, split between Single-A and High-A, posting a 2.19 ERA in 53 1/3 innings. He has struck out 27.6% of opponents, against a 6.2% strikeout rate. In June, FanGraphs ranked him as the 17th-ranked prospect in Boston’s system. They note that the Sox were about to make a tough decision, as Blalock will be Rule 5 eligible this winter and could be an attractive pick despite not yet reaching Double-A.
Here in 2023, he’s putting himself back on the prospect map. He made 11 starts, split between Single-A and High-A, posting a 2.19 ERA in 53 1/3 innings. He has struck out 27.6% of opponents, against a 6.2% strikeout rate. In June, FanGraphs ranked him as the 17th-ranked prospect in Boston’s system. They note that the Sox were about to make a tough decision, as Blalock will be Rule 5 eligible this winter and could be an attractive pick despite not yet reaching Double-A.