The Brewers signed Jacob Hurtubise to a minor league deal earlier this week, according to the outfielder’s MLB.com profile page. Hurtubise has been assigned to Triple-A Nashville, and his contract doesn’t appear to include an invitation to the Brew Crew’s big league spring camp.
An undrafted free agent who started his pro career by signing with the Reds in 2020, Hurtubise has appeared in 41 MLB games, all with Cincinnati over the last two seasons. The Reds designated Hurtubise for assignment in June, starting a whirl of transactions that saw the outfielder claimed by the Mariners, outrighted and released in July, and then Hurtubise joined the Astros on a minor league deal before being released again in September.
The 28-year-old Hurtubise will now look to return to the Show on another NL Central team. Even after trading Isaac Collins to the Royals earlier this winter, the Brewers still have a decent amount of outfield depth beyond starters Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick. Hurtubise joins Akil Baddoo, Brandon Lockridge, and Greg Jones as outfielders providing depth behind fourth outfielder Blake Perkins. Though Hurtubise has a minor league option remaining, being an outfield-only player might hamper his roster chances since the Brewers tend to favor more versatile players for their bench.
Hurtubise does have plenty of experience at all three outfield positions, plus his strong speed and baserunning ability makes him a pinch-running candidate. Hurtubise has stolen 130 bases in 153 attempts over his minor league career, while hitting .260/.411/.324 over 576 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. This on-base ability hasn’t manifested itself over the small sample size of Hurtubise’s time in the majors, as he has hit just .167/.291/.212 over 83 PA for the Reds.
