After trading Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers signed free agent
infielder Luis Rengifo. Milwaukee planned to have the 29-year-old in a platoon at third base
with David Hamilton. The Brewers attributed his disappointing 2025 season to not being fully
healed from a wrist injury he suffered in 2024. The team also believed a fully healthy Rengifo
could stabilize the position until its top infield prospects were ready. However, Rengifo has
been a disappointment and is having a career-worst season. While the Brewers had high hopes,
it’s safe to say the Luis Rengifo experiment is failing.
Since Mike Moustakas departed in free agency after the 2019 season, the Milwaukee Brewers
have had no stability at third base. After finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting, it was
believed that Caleb Durbin would be the one to close the revolving door at the position.
However, the team surprisingly traded him along with Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler
to the Red Sox, signaling that those players weren’t the answer. While the team had a plethora
of top infield prospects, including Jesús Made, Jett Williams, Luis Pena, and Cooper Pratt, all of
whom are ranked inside the top 100, none of them were ready for the show. This meant that
the team needed a short-term solution for the 2025 season.
To fill third base, the team signed free agent Luis Rengifo to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with a
$10 million mutual option for the following season. The 29-year-old was coming off a
disappointing 2025, where he slashed just .238/.287/.335 with just nine home runs, 43 RBI, and
an OPS of .622. The Brewers attributed his down year to not being fully recovered from a wrist
injury he suffered in 2024. Before the injury, Rengifo had a three-year stretch where he slashed
.273/.324/.431 with 39 home runs, 133 RBI, a .755 OPS, and an OPS+ of 105. While he was
expected to begin the year platooning with David Hamilton, it was widely anticipated that he
would eventually be their regular third baseman in 2026. Milwaukee thought they could catch
lightning in a bottle with Luis Rengifo.
Despite the optimism, unfortunately for the Brewers, this experiment has been a failure. Luis
Rengifo is currently having a career-worst season. Through 57 games, he’s slashing
.201/.266/.253 with no home runs, 14 RBI, a .520 OPS, and an OPS+ of 48. Defensively, he’s
done nothing to redeem himself. Rengifo has -1 defensive runs saved and an outs above
average of -2. Given the 29-year-old’s consistent offensive slumps and defensive struggles, this
has forced the team to rely on David Hamilton more than expected entering the season.
Fortunately for Milwaukee, the team is having another successful year despite Rengifo’s
struggles. The Brewers are currently 35-21 and occupy the top spot in the NL Central by 4.5
games over the Cubs. At the trade deadline, players like Isaac Paredes, Alec Bohm, or Royce
Lewis could fit the bill. During the offseason, the Brewers were connected to trade rumors
involving Paredes before they signed Luis Rengifo. This team has a lot of prospect capital, giving
it the flexibility to pursue any third base upgrade if it chooses.
While the Brewers are currently leading the NL Central, Luis Rengifo hasn’t provided the
stability at third base the team envisioned. Despite his optimistic outlook heading into the
season, he’s currently having the worst year of his career. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, its
quest for stability at third base will continue, and Rengifo will be added to the list of players
who failed to stick at the position.
