Moving Lewis Brinson to AAA was the right move for the Marlins

The Marlins made the move to send center fielder Lewis Brinson to Triple-A New Orleans on Monday. It was a move that was needed for the player and the organization.

Lewis Brinson has struggled since being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Miami Marlins in a blockbuster 4-for-1 player deal with Christian Yelich moving to the National League Central. While Yelich is making a push for a National League MVP trophy, Brinson is struggling at the plate and possibly with his confidence.

I’m not a therapist, but after watching the youngster field questions from reporters following the news that he was being sent to Triple-A New Orleans to work on hitting fundamentals, it may have been a mixed bag of emotions for both the player and the organization.

Brinson is one of the nicest guys you will meet in baseball and was more than thrilled to be headed home following the announcement of the trade last offseason. The Ft. Lauderdale native was believed to be a possible face of the franchise and a power-hitting outfielder who could smack 25-30 home runs from the leadoff spot.

Now, the organization is hoping Brinson can just find his swing again and return to the Majors to help himself and the team he loved growing up in South Florida. Going to Triple-A will give Brinson the chance to play every day and work on improving his batting average.

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“Obviously, we know that Lewis is a big part of the future,” Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. “We wanted to see his continued progress, and he’s had moments, thus far this year. But we just felt, in total, that it was best for him at this time to go down, and sort of clear his head and get back to the program we have in place to continue his development, and ultimately get him back to the big leagues.”

Brinson isn’t the only Marlins player who began the season on the 25-man roster but he might be the most notable one other than Wei-Yin Chen. Not to make light of the situation, but the struggle has been real, and it has been apparent on Brinson’s face and the way he fielded questions on Monday, never flinching under pressure.

“During his Minor League stint, Brinson will have to show he can handle breaking pitches,” adds Joe Frisaro. “He’s hitting just .071 (2-for-28) off them this year, according to Statcast, compared to .333 (11-for-33) off all fastballs.”

While it seems extreme because of all the expectations, this might be a great way for Brinson to come back a better hitter with more confidence. A hip injury sidelined Brinson at last year’s All-Star break. He returned to the team after he was healthy and spent time at Triple-A, and showed more patience at the plate. Does the same thing happen again?

“I’ll go down there, and do what I’ve got to do,” Brinson said. “Refine myself, my approach and be back as soon as possible.”