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MLB's midseason trade deadline has come and gone, so how did the Milwaukee Brewers make a trade with the Athletics ahead of their Saturday evening contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers? It's a question most Brewers fans are asking themselves right now, and there's a clear answer: Jonathan Ornelas, who Milwaukee acquired from the Athletics for cash considerations this afternoon, was not on the A's 40-man roster and hadn't been on his current contract. See, the trade deadline, which fell on August 3 this year, is really the last point at which players from the 40-man roster can be traded, but minor leaguers who aren't a part of a team's 40-man can still be dealt. What's odd is that Ornelas just played for the Athletics as recently as last Sunday. In the time since, he was designated for assignment, taking him off the Athletics' 40-man roster, rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A, became a free agent, re-signed with the A's on a minor league contract, and was subsequently traded to the Brewers. Since signing that new deal, Ornelas hadn't been added to the Athletics' 40-man roster. It's a rare post-deadline trade in which a recent major leaguer is joining the new team in mid-August. However, given the Brewers' current need for major league infield depth, it's a savy move from Matt Arnold and Milwaukee's front office. While Ornelas hasn't shown much success at the big-league level in limited opportunities, there's reason to believe he's an upgrade over Jihwan Bae, who was designated for assignment to open a spot for Ornelas on the Brewers' roster. Today's transactions pic.twitter.com/XKSBUPXhWA — Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 15, 2026 Brewers acquire infielder Jonathan Ornelas from Athletics to provide temporary to banged-up infield group The 26-year-old Ornelas, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the third round of the 2018 draft, made his MLB debut back in 2023, but has failed to find his footing in the big leagues since. Though he's appeared in every major league season since, Ornelas has just 38 games to his name. In those 38 games, split between the Rangers and Athletics, Ornelas has slashed .200/.257/.231 with 27 strikeouts, four walks, and just two extra base hits -- both doubles. In the field, Ornelas has logged innings at second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and center field in the majors. A versatile defender, Ornelas is thought to be slightly above average at each position, but where question marks certainly lie is his offensive profile. Ornelas has struggled to post consistent offensive numbers throughout his minor league career, but this year he finally broke out. In 81 games split between the Athletics and Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, Ornelas posted a .310/.378/.505 slash line with 11 homers and 15 doubles, while his strikeout rate decreased. With Cooper Pratt expected to spend close to the minimum 10 days on the injured list, Ornelas likely won't be with the Brewers long. However, needing a boost to their infield group with Pratt on the IL and Brice Turang nursing a knee injury that is keeping him out of the lineup once again tonight, Ornelas is an intriguing addition, given his success in Triple-A this year. Ornelas is playing second base and batting ninth for the Brewers tonight.