Travis Shaw optioned; Hernan Perez recalled

MILWAUKEE -- Every hitter goes through slumps, but few are as deep and lasting as the one endured this season by Brewers infielder Travis Shaw, who went from two straight years of 30-plus home runs to being demoted to the Minor Leagues twice in 2019.

The Brewers optioned Shaw back to Triple-A San Antonio on Friday and purchased utility man Hernán Pérez’s contract. To make room for Perez on a full 40-man roster, Milwaukee designated pitcher Burch Smith for assignment.

Shaw, who hit 63 home runs with an .844 OPS in his first two seasons in a Brewers uniform, has six home runs in 228 plate appearances in the Major Leagues this year while slashing .162/.276/.279. That’s a .556 OPS.

“It’s really a roster thing as much as anything,” said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, whose club had been playing without a true backup shortstop for more than a week before Perez arrived and started there on Friday night against the Rangers. “Originally when we called Travis up, we were thinking about putting Eric [Thames] in the outfield a little more. But when we brought Trent [Grisham] up, it kind of changed things there.”

Friday marked the third time this season that Shaw has been sent to the Minors, though the first was for a rehab assignment after he injured his right wrist. Since Shaw’s most recent callup at the end of July, he was 2-for-14 with no extra-base hits while starting only four of the team’s 10 games.

“He’s discouraged. He is,” Counsell said. “It’s been a rough year, and this doesn’t make it any better. He’s a little discouraged right now, but he’s just got to keep fighting through it and understand this is where we’re at right now, and who knows what’s going to happen in the next six weeks?”

While Shaw departed in frustration, Perez returned in jubilation. The Brewers expected to lose him when they designated him for assignment on July 3, but Perez cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to San Antonio, where he hit .290 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 27 games.

“I feel really great. I feel like I’m making my debut today,” Perez said. “I couldn’t sleep last night, I was so excited to be back. It was a little tough [going down], but I think it was a learning experience to help me with my hitting approach. I think I did great down there, working on my hitting. I was working on my strike zone. Playing every day helped me a lot, seeing more pitches. I was working five to six pitches every at-bat, so that helped me a lot.”

Smith made seven appearances this season for the Brewers, all in relief, registering a 7.82 ERA over 12 2/3 innings.

When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster. Within seven days of the transaction (had been 10 days under the 2012-16 Collective Bargaining Agreement), the player can either be traded or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.

Yelich improving

Christian Yelich missed a third consecutive start on Friday because of another bout of back tightness and was getting treatment during the time the clubhouse was open to reporters on Friday afternoon. But Counsell cited improvement.

“I think we’ve turned the corner a little bit,” Counsell said. “He came in [on Thursday’s off-day], was a little bit better. Came in today positive about the direction it’s going. So we’ll continue progressing. Optimistic on the weekend, but not 100 percent. …

“Christian has gone through this enough that we have a pretty good idea of how he heals through it and what he reports. When he’s ready, I think we’ve felt pretty good about that. We’ll know and he’ll indicate it. I think he’s got pretty good awareness reading himself and understanding when it’s safe and not safe.”

Last call

• Brandon Woodruff (left oblique) and Jhoulys Chacin (right lat) are both playing catch but remain many weeks from rejoining the Brewers' rotation. Woodruff played catch for the first time on Friday since suffering his injury. Chacin has been throwing for a few days but said he still feels discomfort. Until that goes away, he can begin long toss, which leads to getting back on a mound.

“It was tough to watch the games from the TV, especially with what happened last year. You want to be with the team at this time of the season,” Chacin said. “You just can’t do anything about it.”

• There was better news on right-hander Zach Davies, who landed on the 10-day injured list this week because of back spasms. Counsell expressed confidence that Davies will be ready to pitch by the time the Brewers need a fifth starter -- which isn’t until Aug. 20 because of a pair of off-days next week. The Brewers don’t think Davies will need to make a Minor League rehab start.