Milwaukee Brewers sign Emilio Bonifacio to minor league deal

It has been a busy day for the Milwaukee Brewers, with the club completing a myriad of transactions in advance of tonight’s deadline to add players to the 40 man roster and have them be eligible for postseason play. (Waiver trades can still be completed during the month of September, but any players exchanged after midnight tonight will not be able to suit up in the playoffs.) The more notable transactions were in regards to the acquisition of lefty Xavier Cedeno from the White Sox, but the Brewers also plucked a former big leaguer out of indy ball:

Emilio Bonifacio, 33, has appeared in parts of 11 seasons at the MLB level dating back to 2007. He’s a career .256/.313/.333 hitter with just 13 home runs across 2,894 plate appearances with the Marlins, Braves, Diamondbacks, Royals, Cubs, Nationals, White Sox, and Blue Jays. Bonifacio has experience all over the diamond in both the infield and outfield, but Milwaukee’s interest most likely stems from his prowess on the base paths. Emilio has stolen 166 bases with a 78% success rate in his career, and he’s been routinely graded as an excellent base runner overall.

Emilio did not receive a major league or minor league contract last winter, so he’s spent the summer suiting up for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. In 70 games and 301 indy ball plate appearances, Bonifacio hit a stellar .348/.385/.458 with three homers and 20 successful steals in 22 attempts. With the recent release of Quintin Berry from the organization, Bonifacio stands out as a guy who could be called up as a designated pinch runner if management decides to go that route.

Also of note within the tweet from the club was the announcement that Jacob Nottingham has been reinstated from the disabled list. The 23 year old backstop has had a breakout season in Colorado Springs, batting .286/.352/.537 with 10 home runs in 193 plate appearances. He’s missed the last month with a wrist injury, but he’ll get the chance to return to game shape during the final days of the AAA regular season. Once he’s deemed ready, Nottingham will be in line for a September call up back to Milwaukee, where he recorded four hits and four walks in 24 plate appearances during a couple of stints earlier in the year.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference