Jesus Aguilar must step up for Brewers in Eric Thame’s absence

The Milwaukee Brewers will be without Eric Thames for six to eight weeks. Jesus Aguilar needs to step up in his absence.

The Brew Crew have been an intriguing team to watch this year. Their bullpen has been great, and their offense is producing. They’re the team to watch in the National League Central. They received bad news this week, however, when it was announced first baseman Eric Thames will miss six to eight weeks with a thumb injury.

That means it’s time for Jesus Aguilar to step up. Aguilar has shown flashes of power, such as when he hit 30 home runs for the Cleveland Indian’s Triple-A team in 2016. That’s what the Brewers were interested in, and now he’ll have the opportunity to showcase that. Last season, the right-handed hitter bashed 16 home runs in 311 plate appearances. It isn’t unrealistic to think he can hit 25 homers throughout a full season.

The Brewers are losing a big bat, but they could have another in Aguilar. Over his career, he’s been  prone to strikeouts, but he’ll have more time with more at bats. Like most first baseman, he’s there for his bat rather than his glove. At 16-11, the Brewers are in second place behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

They have stiff competition in the division, so Aguilar needs to minimize his struggles. He’s being placed into a winning situation, so he needs to put his best foot forward. The Brewers have a great lineup, and he’ll compliment it. But he at least has to make up for most of Thames’ production.

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This is Aguilar’s big chance as an everyday player. If not for this organization, he’s proving himself to others. His 2018 projections are a .252 batting average, 15 home runs and 57 RBIs in 377 plate appearances. That’s a good measurement of his production this season, which could now increase due to this opportunity.