White Sox trade Tyler Saladino to Brewers

The Brewers have acquired utility infielder Tyler Saladino from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations, per a club announcement Thursday night.

Saladino, 28, played all over the field for the White Sox over the past three seasons, seeing action at every position besides pitcher and catcher while spending the majority of his time at second, third, and shortstop. But with Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson now locked in as the club’s starting middle infielders, Yolmer Sanchez having settled into the starting third-base job, and Matt Davidson having recently established himself as Chicago’s everyday DH, it was going to be tough for Saladino to find playing time moving forward. A .231/.281/.330 career hitter, Saladino was hitting .250/.250/.375 through nine plate appearances this season.

Saladino still has two minor-league options remaining, and he’ll initially be assigned to the Brewers’ Triple-A club in Colorado Springs. With the Brewers arguably having the majors’ best bench — Jesus Aguilar, Hernan Perez, Eric Sogard, Ryan Braun, and Jett Bandy currently comprise their collection of reserves — it may be difficult for Saladino to get back to the big leagues; in addition to Milwaukee’s deep major-league club, they have a deep collection of players with big-league credentials at Colorado Springs. Keon Broxton, Brett Phillips, Ji-Man Choi, and Andres Blanco are among the veterans currently at Triple-A, and Mauricio Dubon — the organization’s No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline — is also at Colorado Springs and on the 40-man roster.

The Saladino trade makes room for outfielder Trayce Thompson, whom the White Sox acquired on Thursday night. The 27-year-old Thompson has now been in more organizations (four) than he has played professional games (three) since Opening Day, but he should provide an upgrade to an outfield mix that current features Nicky Delmonico, Adam Engel, Avisail Garcia, and Leury Garcia.