Milwaukee Brewers' former top prospect Keston Hiura reportedly did not make the Opening Day roster, per Brewers beat reporter Curt Hogg.
Hiura, 26, was once regarded as a future MLB star. His results up to this point, however, have been far from superb. He's shown glimpses of potential at times with the Brewers, but Hiura hasn't been able to put it all together so far.
He debuted in 2019 with Milwaukee as a 22-year old. Hiura flashed signs of stardom over the course of 84 games that season, slashing .303/.368/.570 with a .938 OPS and 19 home runs. He also stole nine bases.
In 2020, a campaign that was shortened due to the pandemic, Hiura hit just .212 with a .707 OPS. However, a number of players struggled that season due to the different schedule. The Brewers were hopeful that he'd be able to turn things around in 2021. Instead, Hiura performed even worse in '21, hitting .168 with a .557 OPS through 61 games.
Hiura raised his numbers a bit in 2022, but they were still a far cry from the exciting potential he displayed in 2019. He ultimately finished the 2022 season with a .226 batting average, .765 OPS, and 14 home runs.
The future is now uncertain for Keston Hiura. He still has upside, but the Brewers may decide to completely move on at this point. A change of scenery may benefit Hiura. At only 26-years old, there would be plenty of teams around the league willing to take a chance on him. Perhaps Hiura can find his footing elsewhere.
Brewers' 2023 season outlook
The Brewers are facing a number of questions heading into 2023. They stumbled in the second-half of the 2022 campaign and missed the playoffs. If Milwaukee struggles out of the gate this season, it wouldn't be surprising to see them be a seller ahead of the trade deadline. Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee's superstar ace, could be a trade candidate in that scenario.
With that being said, Milwaukee is hopeful that they can return to the postseason in 2023.