Dodgers playing mind games with Brewers after signing former top prospect

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura (18) prepares on deck in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura (18) prepares on deck in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. | Katie Stratman, Katie Stratman / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Dodgers are in the part of their year that usually sees the addition of a slew of new players on minor league deals with last-minute invitations to spring training. There have been a few success stories; Jason Heyward immediately springs to mind, but on a smaller scale, Justin Dean also came to the team that way.

So there are ways for non-roster invitees to make their ways onto the Dodgers roster, even if the odds are slim. You'd be hard-pressed to find a player looking to make a comeback, redeem himself, and so on, who would pass on the opportunity to try to do that with the Dodgers.

The latest addition, per Jon Heyman, is former top Brewers prospect and first/third baseman Keston Hiura.

The Dodgers absolutely brutalized the Brewers in last year's NLCS in a clean sweep — and the Brewers never even looked like they had a shot. Hiura was their first overall pick in 2017, then he was their No. 1 prospect in 2018 and 2019. He debuted in 2019 to great effect (.303 average and .938 OPS in 84 games), but his performance dipped until he was eventually DFA'ed in 2023.

And now the Dodgers are going to try to fix him up.

Dodgers sign former top Brewers prospect Keston Hiura to a minor league deal

The Dodgers are Hiura's fourth organization since his unceremonious departure from Milwaukee. He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers ahead of the 2024 season but didn't break the majors with them before being released in June. He went to the Angels and played in 10 major league games (batting .148/.296), then the Rockies for eight major league games in 2025 (.222/.611).

Hiura is clearly a guy who just hasn't been able to get over the hump between Triple-A and the major leagues. He has excellent career numbers in Triple-A — .291 with a .945 OPS, 103 homers, and 298 RBI — but can't put it all together when he's called up, outside of that promising rookie season.

But the Dodgers have been able to extract potential from unlikelier candidates.

LA has a myriad of players they'd turn to before Hiura in the event of an injury to Freddie Freeman or any of their many middle infielders, but you never know. Justin Dean didn't look like a guy who would have a hand in helping the Dodgers win the World Series either.

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