The Dodgers are taking a low-risk, high-upside swing with the signing of Keston Hiura to a minor league deal, and they've invited the former top prospect to Major League spring training. It’s a classic Dodgers move-digging into the bargain bin for a player who once showed flashes of stardom, hoping to unlock something that’s been missing.
Hiura, now 29, was once seen as a cornerstone piece for the Brewers. Drafted ninth overall in 2017, he burst onto the scene in 2019 with a rookie campaign that turned heads: a .303 batting average, .368 on-base percentage, .570 slugging, and 19 home runs in just 84 games.
That .938 OPS wasn’t just good-it was elite. At the time, Hiura looked like a middle-of-the-order bat in the making.
But baseball rarely follows a straight line. Since that breakout, Hiura has struggled to find his footing.
He's played in just 218 big league games since 2019, bouncing between organizations and trying to recapture that early magic. In 2024, he had a brief 10-game stint with the Angels, followed by eight games with the Rockies in 2025.
The tools are still there-raw power, quick hands-but consistency has been the missing ingredient.
Defensively, Hiura has primarily manned second and first base, though he’s logged just over 40 innings in left field, giving him some positional versatility. In a Dodgers system that values flexibility and depth, that could work in his favor.
But let’s be real-this is a long shot. With Kike Hernández re-signing, the path to an Opening Day roster spot just got a lot narrower.
Hiura will need to show up to spring training ready to hit, and hit a lot, if he wants to stick with the defending champs.
That said, spring training isn’t just about impressing your own team. Scouts from across the league will be watching, and if Hiura shows signs of life at the plate, another club in need of a right-handed bat or infield depth could come calling. If things don’t break his way, he’s likely headed to Triple-A Oklahoma City to start the year.
It’s worth remembering that heading into 2018, Hiura was considered Milwaukee’s top prospect-ranked ahead of names like Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. That’s not ancient history.
The pedigree is there. The question is whether the Dodgers can help him tap back into it.
For now, this is a no-risk move for Los Angeles, and for Hiura, it’s an opportunity-maybe his last, best shot-to prove he still belongs in the big leagues.