Brewers designate OF Lorenzo Cain for assignment

Lorenzo Cain’s great run with the Milwaukee Brewers has come to an end.

The team announced Saturday it had designated the veteran outfielder for assignment and called up Jonathan Davis from Triple-A to take his spot. Cain told reporters it was a mutual decision between him and the club after meeting with manager Craig Counsell and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns earlier in the day.

Cain played his first season with Milwaukee before being traded to Kansas City in 2011. He was a core part of a Royals team that turned the franchise around and won the World Series in 2015. He went to the all-star game that year and finished third in the AL MVP voting.

The Brewers got Cain back in Milwaukee by signing him in free agency in 2018. It proved to be a very good signing for the club as he helped them to an NL Central title that year, going to his second all-star game and coming in seventh in the NL MVP voting. One of the best outfielders throughout his career, Cain finally got his due with a Gold Glove in 2019.

After opting out of much of the 2020 season, he returned last year to bat .257 with eight home runs and 36 RBI in only 78 games. The 36-year-old hasn’t been able to find his stride at the plate this year, batting just .179 with one home run and nine RBI.

With Cain’s departure, the only position player left on the roster from 2018 is Christian Yelich.