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Naylor drilled a solo home run in the eighth inning to get the Brewers within one run. He also accounted for another run on a fielder’s choice earlier in the game. The 26-year-old is hitting just .154/.214/.275 on the season, but he may get a few more starts down the stretch with the Brewers wanting to rest William Contreras more often ahead of the playoffs.

It seems like Brandon Lockridge might be of more use to the Brewers than a third catcher, but this does free up Gary Sánchez to serve as a pinch-hitter on occasion. Naylor hit .283/.353/.550 in 14 games for Nashville. He hit .143/.200/.238 in 28 games for the Guardians before they gave up on him and acquired Patrick Bailey in May.

It’s not an official callup, but it’ll be Naylor’s first appearance in a Brewers uniform since he was acquired from the Guardians on Aug. 1.

Naylor’s arrival seems to signal that Milwaukee is open to moving current backup catcher Gary Sánchez. The 26-year-old former top prospect never lived up to his potential in Cleveland, but he represents an interesting reclamation project for the Brewers behind starter William Contreras. He’s flashed some occasional over-the-fence pop, but needs to start making more frequent hard contact if he’s going to be a fantasy-relevant option in the future. It’s the type of challenge trade between two forward-thinking front offices that has a range of potential outcomes wider than the Grand Canyon.

This is a fascinating challenge trade between two savvy front offices and player development factories. FanSided’s Robert Murray adds that Blake Perkins is also in the deal. Naylor wound up back in the minors after Cleveland picked up defensive specialist Patrick Bailey from the Giants back in May. The 26-year-old former top prospect represents an interesting reclamation project of sorts for the Brewers as they’ll attempt to unlock his potential as more of a long-term gamble. It also seems to signal that they’re ready to move current backup catcher Gary Sánchez to another contender. Yoho has always been an intriguing relief prospect and he’s finally started to gain some traction at the highest level this season. He fortifies Cleveland’s bullpen as a solid middle relief arm, with the potential to grow into a more prominent fixture, for the next couple years.

Naylor’s departure coincides with defensive wizard Patrick Bailey’s arrival in Cleveland following a trade with the Giants. The 26-year-old backstop is hitting .143/.200/.238 with two homers in 28 games this season and has batted .199 in 346 games at the highest level since 2022. Veteran defensive specialist Austin Hedges will stick around in a backup role behind Bailey.

Naylor’s homer to seemingly put the game away in the seventh — it made the score 8-2 before the Royals were able bring it back to within three — was just his second of the year. It upped his RBI total from four to seven. Naylor actually has a greatly improved contact rate with pretty solid exit velocity numbers this year, but it’s produced only a .143/.200/.238 line in 90 plate appearances. One imagines he’s due for a run of good luck.

Naylor made things much more interesting as his two-run shot off of Gabe Speier in the sixth inning, pulling Team Canada to within two runs at 5-3. That would be as close as they would get. The 26-year-old backstop also singled in the ballgame. He’ll now rejoin Guardians’ camp and get ready for the start of the regular season.

Naylor put the game to bed with a three-run shot that extended the lead from 3-1 to 6-1. The 25-year-old did almost nothing in the regular season at the plate, but he’s helped Cleveland get to within a game of the ALDS against Seattle.

Naylor has hit in eight straight games, which is pretty remarkable for a guy who was batting .175 through 109 games this season. His previous long hitting streak this season was three games, and he did that just twice. The streak has raised his average 20 points and given him a more adequate .195/.286/.382 season line. He also overtook his previous high of 13 homers from last year with Nos. 13 and 14 today.

Naylor had a pair of two-run hits; a two-run single in the first, and a single in the eighth that scored two more. The 25-year-old has done a solid job behind the plate for Cleveland and occasionally reminds why he was considered a top prospect with the bat, but even with the strong night he’s slashing an ugly .191/.281/.362.

Naylor delivered a valuable insurance run with an RBI double off of Casey Mize in the sixth inning that extended the Guardians’ lead to 3-1. The 25-year-old backstop has had a miserable season overall at the plate, slashing a dreadful .187/.280/.363 with 12 homers and 36 RBI across 381 plate appearances.

Naylor also walked. He drove in his first two runs in the fourth before breaking the tie with his solo shot off Brandon Eisert in the seventh. It was a little surprising that he was in the game at that point — the Guardians pinch-hit for him in a similar situation in the seventh inning Saturday — but the double might have made a difference. It was Naylor’s second homer off a left-hander this season. He’s 5-for-8 in his last three games, raising his average to .187. That’s his highest mark since June 13. He last saw the Mendoza Line on May 24.

Naylor smacked a two-out double off of Stephen Kolek in the fifth inning but the Guardians were unable to cash him in. He then led off the eighth inning with a single off of John Schreiber and rode home on a go-ahead two-run blast by C.J. Kayfus. With his two-hit night, the 25-year-old backstop is now slashing .181/.274/.346 with 11 homers, 32 RBI, one stolen base and a 92/42 K/BB ratio over 371 plate appearances in what has been an especially brutal season at the dish.