The Yankees might be facing a third base dilemma while former prospect Caleb Durbin gets his big league shot with the Brewers.
Durbin, who the Yankees added to their 40-man roster last November to protect from the Rule 5 draft, was shipped to Milwaukee alongside Nestor Cortes in the Devin Williams trade. While Williams has struggled to find consistency in pinstripes, Durbin has been tearing it up in Triple-A.
The Brewers called up Durbin today after he posted a .278/.316/.482 slash line with two homers for Triple-A Nashville. To make room, they optioned Oliver Dunn to Triple-A, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.
The timing makes sense. Milwaukee’s third base production has been abysmal this season. Despite their 10-9 record, the Brewers rank 29th in MLB with a .429 OPS at the hot corner and dead last with a .188 on-base percentage. Dunn, who’s been getting most of the playing time there, was hitting just .167/.205/.222 before being sent down.
What makes Durbin interesting is his speed on the basepaths – a perfect fit for Milwaukee’s offensive philosophy. The bar for third base production isn’t exactly high right now, giving him a real opportunity to stick if he performs.
What This Means for the Yankees
This is where things get interesting for New York. While Durbin wasn’t ranked among the Yankees’ top 30 prospects, he immediately became the Brewers’ No. 21 prospect after the trade. If he establishes himself as a viable starter at third base, the Yankees might have some regrets.
The situation looks even more complicated when you consider Williams is only under team control through this season. If Williams walks after 2024 while Durbin develops into Milwaukee’s long-term solution at third, that trade calculus changes significantly.
It’s still early, of course. Williams could find his groove and become the dominant bullpen piece the Yankees envisioned. But Durbin’s callup is worth watching – especially with the Yankees’ own questions at third base potentially looming in the future.
