MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers continued their third base shuffle by calling up Caleb Durbin on Friday, one day after sending Oliver Dunn to Triple-A Nashville.
Durbin came to the Brewers along with left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes in the offseason trade that sent two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams to the New York Yankees. Durbin went 2 for 4 and scored a run in his major league debut Friday as the Brewers defeated the Athletics 5-3.
Dunn had been splitting time at third base with Vinny Capra before getting sent down, but it appears Durbin will have a more regular role at that spot.
“I see him playing every day,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before Friday's game.
Durbin, 25, was batting .278 with a .316 on-base percentage, two homers, three RBIs and three steals in 13 games with Nashville. Durbin played third base in eight of his 13 appearances this year, though he has played second base more than any other position in the minors.
His arrival in the majors is a pretty remarkable accomplishment for the 5-foot-7 infielder from Division III program Washington University of St. Louis. Durbin grew up about an hour away from Milwaukee in Lake Forest, Illinois, and he said he bought about 30 tickets for friends and relatives to attend Friday’s game. Plenty of other friends already had acquired their own tickets.
“Definitely my journey’s pretty unique, but I think just in general anyone at this level has put in a ton of work," Durbin said.
“I know how much work I've had to put in to get here, and it's not easy. But at the same time, you just put your head down and work and you’re giving yourself the best chance. That's kind of what it’s been about for me.”
The 27-year-old Dunn had started 11 of the Brewers’ first 19 games at third base but was struggling to make an impact. He was hitting .167 with a .205 on-base percentage, no homers, six RBIs and one steal in 14 games.
Dunn batted .221 with a .282 on-base percentage, one homer, seven RBIs and three steals in 41 games for the Brewers last year.
Murphy said he could sense Dunn's struggles were starting to affect him.
“It's no disrespect in any way,” Murphy said. “It happens to virtually most of all young players. You could say the same thing about Capra, but Capra has the ability to play shortstop. If something was to happen, we need that flexibility.”
The 28-year-old Capra entered Friday batting .097 with a .125 on-base percentage, one homer and three RBIs in 13 games.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press