Call-up alert: Jean Segura promoted to Milwaukee
When the Brewers dealt away Zack Greinke at the trade deadline this year, they received a decent prospect haul from the Angels in return. (They also ruined the NL-only season for many of us, but let's try to set that aside for now). Milwaukee fans are about to get an up-close look at the key asset acquired in the Greinke deal, as Jean Segura was recalled on Monday. He'll replace Cesar Izturis, who was claimed off waivers by the Nationals.
Segura arrives as a prospect-of-interest in deeper fantasy formats, mixed leagues included. He entered the season ranked among the top-three prospects in the Angels organization, and he cracked the overall MLB top-60 on multiple lists. Baseball America had him at No. 55, Keith Law ranked him No. 44. Segura is a middle infielder with "premium tools" (BA's words), including excellent speed and the ability to hit for average. Two years ago, he swiped 50 bags in the Midwest League. This season, he's stolen another 37 at Double-A. He's a career .313/.367/.439 hitter in the minors and he's batting .304/.358/.413 right now.
Since arriving in the Brewers' system, Segura has really been on a tear, hitting .433 over his first eight games and stealing four bases in as many attempts. We can't say with certainty that the 22-year-old is ready for fantasy relevance, but he owns at least one skill that should play, and you like the position eligibility (2B right now, SS soon). Make the add if you have an injury-related need (Cuddyer, Bonifacio, Desmond, et al), or if you're looking for a speed boost.
Segura was all the compensation I received after losing Greinke in my hometown NL-only league, so I've been waiting anxiously for this call-up. If he can somehow throw 2-3 shutouts over the final two months while striking out a batter-per-inning, I should be in great shape. No harm done.
