Rhys Hoskins, Brewers agree to $34 million, 2-year contract

Rhys Hoskins and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract, filling the team’s vacancy at first base.

A person familiar with the move confirmed it to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the deal was pending a physical.

Milwaukee won the NL Central last year with a 92-70 record before being eliminated by Arizona in their Wild Card Series.

The addition of Hoskins gives the Brewers another power bat for the middle of their lineup. They had Rowdy Tellez and Carlos Santana at first base in 2023, but they let Tellez go after the season and he signed with pittsburgh in December. Santana remains a free agent.

Jake Bauers could also play first for Milwaukee after being acquired in a November trade with the New York Yankees.

Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. The 30-year-old first baseman was able to swing before the end of the season, but he did not play for Philadelphia even when the Phillies extended their season by reaching the National League Championship Series.

He had a one-year, $12 million deal last season and was the Phillies’ second-longest tenure behind Aaron Nola, who recently agreed to a seven-year, $172 million deal to remain in Philadelphia.

Hoskins hit .246 with 30 home runs and 79 RBIs in 2022.

The right-handed slugger arrived on the scene with a flourish in August 2017, hitting 11 home runs in his first 18 major league games. He finished that season with 18 home runs and was fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting despite playing only 50 games.

In his first full season, Hoskins hit 34 home runs and then led the National League with 116 walks in 2019. Although Hoskins hit just .159 during the 2022 postseason, when the Phillies won the National League pennant, he hit a big home run in a victory over Atlanta in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The moment ended on a mural in a hallway inside Citizens Bank Park between the clubhouse and the dugout.

He was injured before last season while fielding a ground ball in a spring training game.

With Hoskins out, Bryce Harper started 36 games at first base for the Phillies in 2023. Alec Bohm, who has played much more at third base, made 59 starts at first.