Cooper Pratt: Brewers bench rookie shortstop after two baserunning and execution mistakes

cooper pratt was benched by Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy during a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the New York Mets after failing to execute a bunt and not running hard on a shallow flyball. The rookie acknowledged the mistake and said it would not happen again.

Brewers bench rookie shortstop after two baserunning and execution mistakes

Pratt’s removal came in the fifth inning, after he hit a ball into shallow right field that fell between three Mets defenders. He paused briefly out of the batter’s box while watching the play, then ran toward first base at a normal pace. The ball landed in fair territory and briefly got past right fielder Carson Benge, creating a chance for Pratt to reach second.

Murphy replaced him with pinch-runner David Hamilton. The Brewers manager said the decision was not based only on the fifth-inning play. Pratt had also been asked to lay down a bunt in the third inning and pulled his bat back on a strike, leaving Milwaukee unable to advance its runners. The team did not score in either the third or fifth inning before losing in extra innings. FOX Sports, citing The Associated Press

After the game, Pratt accepted responsibility for the lack of hustle. “No excuses. I should have been running hard, no matter if it is foul or fair,” he said, adding that he should have been hustling to second base. FOX Sports

What Pat Murphy said about the decision

Murphy said Pratt needed to be fully focused on the details expected of a Brewers player. He also emphasized that the benching was intended to reinforce that standard throughout the team, not simply punish one baserunning mistake.

“I love the kid and I believe in the kid immensely, but he’s got to be a player that does those things,” Murphy said, according to FOX Sports. Bleacher Report likewise reported that Murphy described the failure to run and the missed bunt as part of a broader problem with Pratt’s execution in the game. Bleacher Report

Pratt said teammates spoke with him in the dugout and reminded him how the organization expects players to approach those situations. He described that standard as applying from the minor leagues through the major-league club and said he had not met it that night.

The rookie’s season and status with Milwaukee

Pratt had made his major-league debut on June 16, roughly two and a half months after Milwaukee signed him to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract. The Brewers selected the shortstop in the sixth round of the 2023 amateur draft. FOX Sports

Before the Mets game, Pratt was batting .259 with two home runs, 18 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 49 games, according to the same report. Murphy continued to describe him as a talented young player and said the issue was not laziness, while insisting that the missed details could not be repeated.

The available reporting establishes that Pratt was removed during the loss and publicly accepted the criticism. It does not establish whether he would return to the starting lineup for Milwaukee’s next game.