Josh Fields opts out of minor league contract with Brewers

When the Milwaukee Brewers signed reliever Josh Fields to a minor league deal on March 19th, the front office hinted that it probably wouldn’t be long before he was in the Cream City pitching in the bullpen for our local nine. But that never materialized during the first month of the regular season, and Fields has decided to exercise an opt-out clause in his contract in order to become a free agent.

Fields, 33, made eight appearances and recorded three saves for Triple-A San Antonio. But he also allowed seven earned runs and two homers across 7.2 innings pitched, striking out five against four walks. Since the start of the regular season, Fields has been passed over for call-ups by waiver claim Donnie Hart and fellow minor league signee Jay Jackson. He apparently saw the writing on the wall, and will now hope to hook on somewhere else with a better opportunity at big league time. The six-year MLB veteran owns a 3.71 ERA across 276.1 innings at the game’s highest level.

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs