Brewers fan favorite may have played his last game in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Brewers called up Andrew Vaughn on Monday to replace fan favorite Rhys Hoskins, who was sent to the 10-day IL with a left thumb strain. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said "it can be weeks, not days," so there's uncertainty over when exactly Hoskins will return to the Milwaukee lineup. But what if it's never?

Vaughn's Brewers debut started with a literal bang, and he roped a high 2-2 fastball over the left field wall for a three-run homer in his first Brewers at-bat. He did so against one of MLB's most dominant pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Here's the scene from American Family Field.

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Andrew Vaughn puts Rhys Hoskins on notice with home run in first Brewers AB

Before his call-up, Vaughn was batting .259 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 16 games with Triple-A Nashville. A midseason arrival via trade with the Chicago White Sox — and a former first-round draft pick — Vaughn suddenly feels like a real piece.

If the Brewers feel good about the 27-year-old Vaughn, who's coming off of back-to-back seasons with at least 19 home runs and 70 RBI, that makes Hoskins expendable at the trade deadline. Hoskins is five years older than Vaughn and he's on a (potentially) expiring contract. The former is a better player, make no mistake, but if Vaughn can close the gap and reinstall faith in his future, Milwaukee may be convinced to cash in on Hoskins before he leaves as a free agent.

Hoskins does have an $18 million mutual option for next season, which isn't a terrible number, but Vaughn is still under aribitration, which means his return is guaranteed and he will cost significantly less. So not only does trading Hoskins mean the Brewers can decrease the risk of losing him for nothing — or paying the $4 million buyout on his contract next season. It means Milwaukee can save money and reallocate their limited resources elsewhere.

Which MLB teams might trade for Rhys Hoskins?

A lot of contenders would love to add Hoskins' .767 OPS and 12 home runs at first base.

The Boston Red Sox stand out as the obvious landing spot. After basically trading their franchise centerpiece because he refused to switch to first, Boston has been cycling through a committee led by Abraham Toro. Kristian Campbell is learning first base with Triple-A Worcester, but the Red Sox would benefit from a proven, everyday option at the position — not to mention another right-handed slugger to balance out an increasingly young lineup.

We can also point to the Seattle Mariners, a team in constant need of more offense. Or how about the San Francisco Giants, who (ironically) may prefer a more permanent solution at first base than Rafael Devers, who has been training behind the scenes since arriving in the trade from Boston.

Those are just a few potential landing spots, but a Hoskins trade felt reasonably likely before the injury. Now, there's a good chance Milwaukee fans just don't see him in a Brewers uniform ever again. It's Andrew Vaughn's time.