Milwaukee Brewers claim Jake Hager off waivers

The Milwaukee Brewers recently granted veteran Dee Strange-Gordon his release from his minor league contract and designated Jace Peterson for assignment, so perhaps seeking to augment their depth at Triple-A, the club has reunited with an old friend.

Hager, 28, was originally the #32 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2011 and spent seven seasons (including one missed with injury in 2015) playing in the minors for that franchise. He also spent a pair of seasons down on the farm with the Brewers, appearing at Double-A and Triple-A during the 2018-19 seasons. Hager signed with the Mets prior to the 2020 season during which the affiliated minor leagues were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then re-signed with New York for the 2021 season.

He got off to a hot start in Triple-A this season and a decade after he was drafted, Hager finally made his MLB debut earlier this month. He collected one hit in eight at-bats before getting designated for assignment by the Mets a few days ago. He’ll now join the Brewers and serve as utility depth; he has a full slate of three minor league options remaining. Hager is capable of playing both the infield and outfield and is a .261/.314/.380 hitter across 796 minor league games and 3,256 plate appearances.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference