Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura was sent back to Triple-A San Antonio on Monday even though he was batting .281 with five home runs and nine RBIs over the first 17 games of his big league career.
The move allows the Brewers to activate Travis Shaw off the 10-day injured list, where the infielder spent time with a right wrist injury.
Brewers general manager David Stearns admitted to reporters Monday that Hiura proved himself over his first three weeks, but a roster squeeze necessitated the move. There was no simple way to activate Shaw and keep Hiura at the same time.
Stearns said Hiura, the ninth overall selection in the 2017 draft out of UC Irvine, will return as soon as the need arrives.
Three of Hiura’s five home runs came over the past five games, including a two-run shot Saturday to tie the game in the ninth inning against Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez. Milwaukee won 12-10 in 13 innings.
Shaw was batting just .163 with four home runs and eight RBIs over 40 games before he was injured. Hiura will return to Triple-A, where he batted .333 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs over 37 games earlier this season.