Brewers, looking for offensive spark, call up Black

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• Associated Press

Apr 30, 2024, 04:51 PM ET

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers called up infielder Tyler Black on Tuesday, adding the hot-hitting 23-year-old to an already young and inexperienced lineup.

Black was called up from Triple-A Nashville ahead of the Brewers' game against the Tampa Bay Rays in an effort to add some punch to a struggling offense.

"He's coming on," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "He's a really good athlete and moves really well left to right. It's just experience that he lacks. That's kind of a theme for us."

Black was off to a tremendous start at Nashville. In 117 plate appearances, he was batting .303 with three triples, five home runs and 18 RBIs while compiling a .919 OPS.

The Brewers are hoping his production will help an offense that has been held to three or fewer runs in 10 of the past 14 games.

Defensively, Black had played primarily at third base since Milwaukee selected him out of Wright State in the first round of the 2021 draft. After acquiring prospect Joey Ortiz from Baltimore in a trade for Corbin Burnes, the Brewers shifted Black to first base during spring training. He is likely to see most of his action there, splitting time with veteran slugger Rhys Hoskins.

"It's just a thing of being where your feet are," Black said. "It's the same game. Pitchers still have to throw it over the plate, and I've still got to recognize it and put a good swing on it and swing at good pitches.

"I'm just going to try to keep it as simple as possible. It's the same game I've played my whole life, and nothing changes."

Though Black wasn't in the Brewers' starting lineup Tuesday night, he didn't have to wait long to get his first taste of action in Milwaukee's 8-2 win. Murphy sent the youngster in as a pinch-runner when Gary Sanchez suffered a hamstring injury running to first in the opening inning.

Black stepped into the batter's box for the first time in the third and picked up his first big league hit, a line-drive double to center, then reached again his next time up on a base hit before falling just a few feet short of his first career home run when he flew out to right in the sixth.

"I just kind of strapped it on and said, 'Here we go,'" Black said after the game of his somewhat unconventional first day in the big leagues. "I wouldn't want it any other way, honestly."

To make room for Black on the active roster, the Brewers optioned infielder Owen Miller to Nashville.