With the exception of Ryan Braun, it's possible no Brewer has gotten worse news over the last two weeks than Taylor Green. Roughly seven days ago, he looked like a strong candidate to be the Brewers' primary third baseman in 2012. Now, with Aramis Ramirez in the fold it's possible the Brewers won't have a reason to keep him on the major league roster.
Green, of course, parlayed a huge AAA season in 2011 (.336/.412/.580 with 22 home runs in 120 games) into a callup for his major league debut down the stretch and a spot on the playoff roster. That's not bad for a guy who was left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft the previous winter.
Now, though, Green's future remains uncertain. He likely projects to be Aramis Ramirez's primary backup at third base, but Ramirez played in 149 games last season. That doesn't leave much space for Green to fill. Versatility isn't exactly Green's strong suit, either: Of his 595 minor league games, 484 have come as a third baseman. He's played 90 more at second base and 21 at first.
Coming to camp and demonstrating the ability to play multiple positions is about the only way Green can provide significant value to the 2011 Brewers. If he's just another third baseman, he probably won't get much playing time behind Aramis Ramirez and might be better off spending the season in AAA to get consistent plate appearances. If he can back up third, second, first and perhaps a corner in the outfield, though, then that flexibility might allow the Brewers to get him into 100 or so games.
So Taylor, if you're reading this, bring a lot of gloves to camp when you come to Maryvale in February. The more positions you're ready to play, the better your chance of being a contributing member of the 2012 Brewers.