The Milwaukee Brewers will get outfielder Sal Frelick back from injury ahead of their series against the New York Mets. The club announced that Frelick has been activated from the 10-day injured list. As the corresponding move, infielder Jonathan Ornelas has been designated for assignment.
Frelick had been out since July 18 with a strained right shoulder. The Brewers’ right fielder ultimately missed a little less than six weeks due to the injury.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel‘s Curt Hogg reported that Frelick had traveled to Citi Field. That came right before the club announced his activation from the IL.
The former first-rounder is having a tough season in Milwaukee. Frelick is slashing .236/.301/.330 with four home runs on the season. His 76 wRC+ is on track to be the lowest mark of the year. It’s unclear how much the shoulder played a role in his offensive decline.
After a breakout 2025 season, Frelick’s numbers have gone backward. He hit .288 with 12 home runs and a .756 OPS for Milwaukee, even if his quality of contact metrics didn’t necessarily support it.
Brewers Activate Sal Frelick from IL
GettySal Frelick returns to the Brewers lineup after missing six weeks with a strained shoulder. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
With Sal Frelick activated from the injured list, the Brewers get their starting right fielder back. While he’s struggling with the bat, he is one of the best defenders at his position and runs the bases extremely well.
Frelick is currently credited with +3 baserunning runs above average and +7 Outs Above Average by Statcast. While the Brewers would like to get more offense out of the 26-year-old, he more or less fits their mold by winning with athleticism and defense.
The outfield situation also becomes more crowded. Jackson Chourio is entrenched in left field, plus Garrett Mitchell and Frelick will get the bulk of the starts in center and right field. That leaves little playing time for both Luis Lara and Jake Bauers in the outfield.
Lara may revert to more of a platoon role in center. As a switch-hitter, he’ll bat right-handed against left-handed pitchers. Mitchell had an injury scare against the Atlanta Braves when he was hit in the right forearm by a Tyler Mahle pitch, but came out of the game relatively unscathed.
However, Bauers may find himself more in the lineup as a first baseman and designated hitter when Christian Yelich needs a breather. That also creates a logjam on the infield, as it affects Andrew Vaughn’s playing time the most.
Brewers DFA Jonathan Ornelas
As a result of his DFA, Jonathan Ornelas will be on the waiver wire once again. The former Texas Rangers prospect has bounced around the league in recent seasons.
The Brewers acquired the 26-year-old from the Athletics in a rare post-deadline trade, as Brice Turang suffered an injury in their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since he had not been on a 40-man roster during the season before then, the club was able to make a trade.
Ornelas played sparingly with the Brewers, getting into a total of nine contests. He hit just .190 in 22 plate appearances, serving mostly as an insurance policy for injury. With Turang healthy, the club cut ties once they needed a roster spot. The Brewers’ 40-man roster now has 39 players.
Milwaukee will have five days to either outright or release Ornelas. Having been outrighted to the minors before, he has the option to reject an outright assignment and become a free agent.
If Ornelas signs with another organization, it will be the sixth one that the 26-year-old has played for in the past three seasons.
Milwaukee Brewers Announce Sal Frelick Decision Before Mets Series