Brewers' Jonathan Villar: Out for third straight game

Villar is out of the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

There hasn't been anything health-related reported in respect to Villar, so it appears manager Craig Counsell simply has preferred Hernan Perez or Eric Sogard at second base of late. Offensively, Villar owns just a .653 OPS through his first 99 plate appearances, making his 19-homer, 62-steal campaign in 2016 seem like ages ago. He's still a threat to steal bases when he gets on, and his .313 OBP is a shade better than last season's mark of .293, but Villar seemingly has some work to do at the plate to get back into his manager's good graces. Though he singled in a pinch-hit appearance Saturday, Villar was just 3-for-16 at the plate in his previous five contests, striking out six times.