The brewers have determined Lorenzo Cain for assignment. The move comes on the same day he achieved 10 years of MLB service. Cain and the club reached a joint decision on today’s roster decision, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (via twitter). Jonathan Davis was selected by Triple-A to fill his roster spot, per team.
Cain is one of the most respected players in the game, evidenced here by the Brewers’ willingness to wait until he reaches 10 years of service before the DFA. Cain’s second stint with the Brewers was a resounding success, even if it ended that way. The veteran midfielder was in the final year of the five-year deal he signed with the Brewers when he left Kansas City as a free agent. It’s not clear at this point what the future holds for Cain, but from now on his comments hereit didn’t sound like he would find another club anytime soon.
This 10-year veteran owns a career .283/.343/.407 line through 4,758 career plate appearances with the Brewers and Royals. He was a key figure at the heart of the Royals’ World Series-winning team in 2015, a year in which he finished third in MVP voting. He is a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner. Although the Gold Glove, which he won in 2019, was his only such accolade, he has long been regarded as one of the best midfield defenders.
However, this season has not been Cain’s best. He has only cut .179/.231/.234 over 156 plate appearances. This follows a .257/.329/.401 effort in 2021 that spelled the end for Cain in Milwaukee. Nonetheless, he’s been a gigantic figure for that team over the Brewers’ run since 2018, when he joined the Brewers as a free agent on the same day they traded Christian Jelich. The two fielders made the Brewers a contender for NL Central.
There’s more to come…