The Milwaukee Brewers made a number of roster moves on Friday, including calling up utilityman Tyler Black to the major league squad.
Black is the son of famous Canadian and former TSN broadcaster Rod Black.
The team also recalled left-handed pitcher Shane Drohan from Triple-A, while they optioned righty Carlos Rodriguez to Triple-A and designated outfielder Luis Matos for assignment.
This will be Black’s third try in the majors, after the 25-year-old had two brief stints with the big-league club in 2024 and 2025.
In 10 games at Triple-A this year, Black has hit .282 with one home run and six runs batted in. He hit .100 in four games representing Canada at the World Baseball Classic in March.
In 23 career games with the Brewers, Black has a slash line of .211/.357/.263 with three stolen bases and three doubles. Black’s patience at the plate has contributed to a fantastic 17.1 per cent walk rate, which is more than twice the average major leaguer, but he has not been able to find his power stroke at the major-league level after slugging .442 over five seasons in the minors.
Part of why Black has struggled to stick with the major-league club is his poor defence. Black has spent time at first base, second base and third base in the minors, with some limited outfield experience as well. In the majors, he has primarily worked at first base and designated hitter. In order to stay with the Brewers, Black will need to hit.
“It’s been a really small sample, and the biggest thing for me is not looking too much into it,” Black said in Spring Training back in February. “It’s tough being up and down a lot of times, for a lot of guys. But I’m continuing to show up with my process. Get better every year and learn. Every time I go down, I try to take something from the vets, from playing against guys. I’m learning, for sure.”
Brewers manager Pat Murphy felt that there was a good chance Black could stick around with the big-league club this season, when speaking to reporters in Spring Training. “Black has enough power to be an everyday player, there’s no doubt,” Murphy said to reporters in February. “But how that comes out, it’s all about how he develops as a hitter. We [know] he has it in there.”
The Brewers (13-11) open a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
