Sal Frelick

The Brewers have made just one change in the series, swapping Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell in Game 4. They’re sticking with that arrangement tonight. The lineup: LF Jackson Chourio, 1B Jake Bauers, DH Christian Yelich, C William Contreras, 2B Brice Turang, RF Frelick, SS Cooper Pratt, CF Mitchell and 3B David Hamilton.

It’s the first change of the World Series for the Brewers, but they’re going with the same nine while facing a fourth straight righty. Frelick moves up despite taking a hard fall on his troublesome right shoulder late last night. He’s 4-for-11 with a homer through three games, compared to 2-for-11 for Mitchell. The lineup: LF Jackson Chourio, 1B Jake Bauers, DH Christian Yelich, C William Contreras, 2B Brice Turang, RF Frelick, SS Cooper Pratt, CF Mitchell and 3B David Hamilton.

With the Brewers trailing 4-3, Frelick took left-hander Ian Seymour over the center-field wall to tie the game at 4-4. It was the first homer of the postseason for the outfielder, and he’s driven in four runs while hitting a solid .273/.370/.409 thus far. He’ll likely hit near the bottom of the order again in Game 3 as the Brewers are two wins away from their first ever championship.

Frelick and Hamilton sat in favor of Luis Lara and Joey Ortiz with a left-hander on the mound for the Padres in Game 1 on Saturday, but they’ll jump into the lineup against right-hander Michael King. The Brewers have also shuffled up the order of their lineup. Here’s the full lineup: Jackson Chourio (LF), Brice Turang (2B), Jake Bauers (1B), William Contreras (C), Garrett Mitchell (CF), Christian Yelich (DH), Frelick (RF), Cooper Pratt (SS) and Hamilton (3B).

The Brewers weren’t exactly quick to activate Frelick, who, after just a couple of weeks off due to a shoulder injury, went 10-for-36 with two homers over 10 games for Triple-A Nashville on a rehab assignment. It seems like a sign that they’ll treat him as more of a fourth outfielder now than the lineup fixture he’s been in recent years. Frelick hit just .236/.301/.330 in 313 plate appearances before going on the injured list, and Luis Lara has been a bit of an upgrade both offensively and defensively in his place.

Frelick, on the IL with a shoulder strain, is 5-for-22 with a homer and five walks since joining Nashville. He could come off the IL and replace Brandon Lockridge on the Brewers’ roster on Tuesday, but given the way he performed before landing on the IL, there’s no need for the team to make him a lineup fixture right away.

Frelick is working his way back from a shoulder strain that forced him to the injured list back in mid-July. The 26-year-old right fielder is likely to need a handful of games to get back up to speed before returning to Milwaukee’s lineup for the home stretch.

Frelick is expected to be ready to return at some point in early-to-mid August. Milwaukee top prospect Luis Lara will continue playing regularly in his absence for the next couple weeks. Frelick hit the injured list with a right shoulder strain that had been bothering him for a while back on July 18.

Frelick is likely facing an extended absence after aggravating a lingering shoulder ailment on a throw from right field during Friday’s second-half opener against the Marlins. Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters afterwards that he could be down for a while. Frelick said that he’s been dealing with the shoulder issue for nearly two months and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity. There should be a definitive return timeline at some point in the coming days. Frelick’s absence opens the door for top prospect Luis Lara to play everyday in right field. He boasts an intriguing blend of fantasy-relevant tools and is worthy of a speculative roster spot in all formats.

There’s real cause for concern after Frelick experienced discomfort on a throw from right field during the fourth inning of Friday’s second-half opener against Miami. The 26-year-old will undergo imaging to determine the severity of the issue, with Murphy adding that he doesn’t expect him back anytime soon. There should be some clarity on his status later this weekend. Frelick’s absence would pave a relatively unobstructed path for top prospect Luis Lara to play virtually everyday in right field, which would be a huge boost to his fantasy appeal. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy leagues at this point.

It doesn’t sound like anything that the Brewers are overly concerned about, but his availability for the remainder of the weekend will likely depend on how he’s feeling on Saturday. For now, he’s considered day-to-day.

No word yet on what exactly occurred here, but Frelick was replaced by Luis Lara in right field when the Brewers took the field in the fifth inning. Expect the team to provide an update on his status as soon as more information becomes available.

Frelick took Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft deep for his first home run since April 30.

Reaching on catcher’s interference is half of Frelick’s game at this point. He’s done it five times this year, effectively giving him a .307 OBP instead of his actual .289 mark. Frelick hasn’t lost any playing time since Christian Yelich’s return has crowded the Brewers’ first base/outfield/DH situations, but that might become a possibility at some point. His OPS is sitting at .590, and his defensive metrics have also taken a hit this year. Both versions of WAR have him as slightly below replacement level to date.

Frelick also singled and walked, and he scored three runs in the process. The 26-year-old was due for a game like this, as he’s slashed just .217/.323/.313 even with the homer and three-reach game. It’s hard to imagine him not being considerably better over the summer months.

He’ll get a rare game off against LHP Patrick Corbin, with Greg Jones handling left field and batting seventh. Frelick is off to a .179/.303/.268 start, with just one stolen base and one homer so far. His performance probably has him as a fringe option in 12-team leagues at this point, but his .288 batting average and 19 stolen bases in 2025 are reasons to hold through the slow start.

The Massachusetts native will be ready to face his hometown club after sitting out Sunday’s game against the Royals due to a lingering oblique issue that forced him from the nightcap of Saturday’s twin bill. The 25-year-old outfielder is back in right field and batting seventh to face Red Sox righty Brayan Bello.

Frelick left with side tightness, but the 25-year-old outfielder reportedly had been dealing with pain in that area prior to the second game of the doubleheader. There’s a good chance Frelick will miss Sunday’s contest, but the team does believe he’s avoided a serious injury.

Brandon Lockridge pinch-ran for him after a fourth-inning single. A Frelick IL stint might get Luis Matos a look; he’s thus far been on the bench in four straight games since being acquired from the Giants.

Frelick raised his spring average from .163 to .217 tonight and collected his first extra-base hit since Feb. 28. He took enough of a step forward last year that there’s no question about his status as a regular entering 2026. Still, the power isn’t going to be there to make him of much use in shallow leagues.