Jump to content
Brewer Fanatic

  • Major League Notes

    Notes about the team are posted here.

    116 rumors in this category

      Steve Drumwright

      For Milwaukee Brewers fans planning on giving Freddy Peralta one last hurrah at American Family Field, circle the dates July 20-22 on your calendar.

      Those three days are the first time the Brewers will face the New York Mets in the 2026 season, and it happens at home. Peralta was traded Wednesday by the Brewers to the Mets along with right-handed starter Tobias Myers for two prospects, infielder-outfielder Jett Williams and right-handed starter Brandon Sproat.

      Peralta is very likely to pitch in that series and could get some help from the Mets. The July 20-22 series is the second one following the All-Star break. The Mets face the Philadelphia Phillies coming out of the break, with a game on July 16, a day off, then July 18-19 at Citizens Bank Park. When Peralta pitches would depend on whether he makes the All-Star Game. Peralta is a two-time All-Star, including in 2025.

      Let's say that Peralta makes the All-Star Game with the Mets. That would push his first start to at least Saturday, July 18, after the break. Considering teams have the chance to reset their rotations at the break, Peralta is likely to be consulted as to whether he wants to pitch in the series vs. the Brewers, which is a Monday-Wednesday affair. The Mets would need to choose not to pitch Peralta against the two-time defending NL East champion Phillies in order to save him for a sentimental start against the Brewers. That would likely mean Peralta would start the Monday, July 20 game.

      Now, if Peralta doesn't make the All-Star Game but is still pitching well, he could start the Mets' first game out of the break on Thursday, July 16. That would set Peralta up to start the finale of the three-game series at American Family Field on Wednesday, July 22, an afternoon getaway game.

      However it plays out, the Brewers are likely to have an emotional tribute video ready for Peralta for the opening game of the series as he makes his return to Milwaukee for the first time since the trade. The Brewers don't play in New York until a midweek series Aug. 25-27. Coincidentally, the Brewers did not have a Peralta-themed promotional item (bobblehead, etc.) scheduled for the upcoming season.

      Steve Drumwright

      Two down, three to go. Or four?

      Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy made official what has seemed obvious: right-handers Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick will be in the Opening Day rotation. It will be the first Opening Day for Misiorowski, while it will be the second straight for Patrick. Both made their MLB debuts last season.

      Misiorowski, an All-Star after less than three weeks in the majors in 2025, is also the leading candidate to start Opening Day. That is because right-hander Brandon Woodruff, the likely Opening Day starter entering camp, is being brought along slowly this spring following a strained lat that ended his season early. The other top candidate is right-hander Quinn Priester, who has been dealing with inflammation in his right wrist and slowed his progress toward Opening Day. It is likely that Priester begins the season on the 15-day injured list.

      Woodruff is hoping to avoid the same fate, but could be limited if he is available on Opening Day. That could lead to a tandem starter situation or a six-man rotation. The Brewers have plenty of candidates for the other three spots regardless of the setup, with Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson, Brandon Sproat, Robert Gasser, and Shane Drohan. Harrison, Gasser, and Drohan are left-handers, while Henderson and Sproat are righties. Left-handers Aaron Ashby and DL Hall can also provide multiple innings out of the bullpen.

      Brock Beauchamp

      32‑year‑old first baseman Rhys Hoskins has batted .242/.340/.428 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs through 82 games this season. On July 5, he exited a 4–2 loss to the Marlins after jamming his left thumb tagging out a runner. X-rays were negative, but the MRI revealed a grade 2 sprain, and he’ll require a stint on the 10-day injured list. Hoskins has a hard‑hit rate of 45.8% and a wOBA of .334.

      Grade‑2 thumb sprains typically sideline MLB players for 2–4 weeks. Aroldis Chapman missed about three weeks with a similar right thumb sprain in 2023, while infielder Xander Bogaerts was also out roughly three weeks after a grade‑2 left thumb sprain in 2021.

      Called up to Milwaukee to replace Hoskins is Andrew Vaughn, who has an OPS of .838 in 65 plate appearances in Triple-A Nashville. He was recently acquired in trade from the Chicago White Sox.

      Thanks to @markedman5 for creating the original thread on the Brewer Fanatic forums.

      Matthew Lenz

      The Milwaukee Brewers' offseason has already gotten off to a fast start. The organization has made or been informed of multiple option decisions, and yesterday tendered a qualifying offer to Brandon Woodruff. They also announced changes to the coaching staff and the organization.

      Per a post from their official X account, Rickie Weeks will transition to a Special Assistant - Baseball Operations and Domestic/International Scouting. He served as the team's associate manager over the last two seasons.

      In a statement, Brewers President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Matt Arnold said, "This new role is an opportunity for Rickie to advance his career and broaden his experience, building off what he has accomplished already as a player, coach, and baseball operations executive." Weeks will now adjust his focus to evaluating draft-eligible and international players. He will also work with the Ops team to assess and recommend changes that impact on-field competition. It is not expected that the now vacant associate manager role will be filled.

      How do you think Weeks will impact that scouting department? Let us know in the comments!

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The reward for saving the rest of the bullpen Saturday? A one-way ticket to Nashville.

      The Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday optioned right-hander Carlos Rodriguez to Triple-A Nashville and activated left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny from the 60-day injured list. Zastryzny has been on the IL since the end of spring training with a strained left shoulder. Left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for Zastryzny on the 40-man roster. Zerpa is out for the season after having Tommy John surgery a few weeks ago.

      Rodriguez pitched 3⅓ innings in Saturday's 9-2 loss to the Houston Astros, coming within an out of finishing the game. He did allow three runs. Rodriguez has been much better for the Brewers this season, with two of his previous three bullpen appearances being shutout efforts.

      Zastryzny gives the Brewers four left-handers in the bullpen, joining Aaron Ashby, DL Hall and Shane Drohan. Zastryzny is coming off a 2025 in which he posted a 2.45 ERA in 26 appearances over 22 innings. He walked 10 and struck out 20.

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

       

      It won't be a bullpen day after all.

      Left-handed starter Robert Gasser was called up Sunday by the Milwaukee Brewers from Triple-A Nashville and will start the series finale against the Minnesota Twins. Right-hander Peter Strzelecki was designated for assignment, leaving the Crew's 40-man roster at 39.

      Gasser will be making his first appearance with the Brewers this season. He dealt with arm soreness during spring training, which set him back slightly, and then into the regular season at Triple-A after not making the Opening Day roster.

      But Gasser has now made six starts and pitched 21⅔ innings at Nashville, putting up a 3.74 ERA with eight walks and 32 strikeouts. He made two abbreviated starts for the Brewers at the end of the 2025 season in his comeback from Tommy John surgery and was on the postseason roster.

      Strzelecki was called up Saturday when right-hander Coleman Crow was optioned back to Triple-A following Friday's spot start. Strzelecki didn't pitch in Saturday's game.

       

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

      Walks will get you a ticket back to the minors.

      The Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday optioned left-handed starter Robert Gasser back to Triple-A Nashville and called up right-hander Carlos Rodriguez. Gasser walked four in 4⅓ innings in an 11-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

      In fact, Gasser's line was littered with fours: 4⅓ IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. This was his second start since being called up May 17, when he started against the Minnesota Twins. In that game, Gasser went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits, two walks and three hit batters while striking out three.

      Rodriguez is up for the second time. He made two relief appearances in April, allowing one run (a homer) in four innings on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

      With Gasser not in the rotation, the Brewers will need a starter, likely to come next weekend against the Houston Astros. Right-hander Coleman Crow is a likely choice.

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The summer of Sal is back in action.

      Right fielder Sal Frelick was activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday by the Milwaukee Brewers. Infielder-outfielder Jonathan Ornelas was designated for assignment. Also, left-handed reliever JoJo Romero (appendectomy) and right-hander Abner Uribe (right forearm flexor strain) were sent to the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to begin a rehab assignment. Romero was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline.

      Frelick has been out since July 18 due to a strained right shoulder. A terrific defender, Frelick has not been as big of an offensive contributor this season, putting up a .236/.301/.330 slash line with four homers, 34 RBIs and six steals in 90 games. Last year, Frelick had a career season with a slash line of .288/.351/.405 with 12 homers, 63 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 142 games.

      Ornelas was a stopgap solution as the Brewers had injuries on the infield. He was acquired in an Aug. 15 trade with the A's for cash and played in three games, going 2-for-9 with an RBI and a run scored.

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

       

      The Milwaukee Brewers will be without their starting right fielder for a while.

      Sal Frelick was put on the 10-day injured list Saturday by the Brewers due to a strained right (throwing) shoulder. Outfielder Blake Perkins was called up from Triple-A Nashville.

      Frelick was injured during Friday's 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins. In the top of the fourth inning, Frelick made a throw from right field toward second base on a double by Otto Lopez that took several bounces to get there, not a throw you would expect from the 2024 Gold Glove winner. Manager Pat Murphy said after the game that Frelick had an issue with the should earlier in the season.

      He remained in on defense, but was replaced the next inning by rookie Luis Lara.

      Frelick has struggled offensively this season after being in contention for a batting title at the end of last year. He currently has a slash line of .236/.301/.330 with four homers and 34 RBIs, with six steals. Last season's slash line was .288/.351/.405.

      Perkins is a terrific defender, but has not been able to get going offensively, which led to him not originally making the Opening Day roster. He has only been called up due to injuries, with this being the third time. Perkins has a .157/.250/.258 slash line in 53 games with one homer and 11 RBIs.

       

       

      Steve Drumwright

      Outfielder Jordyn Adams, who has 38 games of MLB experience over the last three seasons, has signed a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The deal likely includes an invite to spring training, which begins next week.

      Adams, who plays center and right field, was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of a North Carolina high school. At the same time, Adams had committed to play football at North Carolina as he was a four-star wide receiver recruit. He chose a pro baseball career over football, receiving a $3,472,900 signing bonus from the Angels.

      While not possessing terrific power, having topped out at 15 homers in the minors in 2023, he does have speed, swiping 44 bags also in 2023, all at Triple-A. That was the same year he made his MLB debut, coming up Aug. 1. In two MLB stints, he played in 17 games, putting up a .128/.125/.128 slash line in 40 plate appearances. He had another cup of coffee with the Angels in 2024, but again struggled offensively with a slash line of .229/.289/.314 in 38 plate appearances over 11 games.

      He was designated for assignment that offseason, but was quickly picked up by the Baltimore Orioles for the 2025 season. He again got a small amount of MLB action, going hitless in five plate appearances over 10 games.

      In seven minor-league seasons, Adams has a .247/.328/.377 slash line with 52 homers, 288 RBIs, and 158 steals in 195 chances. One major drawback is that he does strike out quite a bit, with 758 in 2,738 plate appearances in the minors, a whopping 27.7% of the time.

      It would be hard-pressed for Adams to crack the Brewers' Opening Day lineup, but he would be a solid depth piece at Triple-A Nashville. He is the latest player to join the non-roster invitees to spring training.

      Jason Wang

      Hoskins has been out of action since early July when he sustained a left thumb sprain while making a tag at first base. He was originally expected to be back in the lineup by mid- to late-August, but the most recent updates suggest that he isn't expected to start his rehab assignment until then. 

      Milwaukee did (sort of) hedge against this by acquiring Andrew Vaughn from the White Sox, and he has been playing incredibly well so far, almost suspiciously so. Since joining the team, he's slashing .375/.439/.771 across a sample of 57 plate appearances, which is way above his career norms of .250/.306/.414. It's unclear as to whether the front office truly saw something in him worth making him the Brewers' starting first baseman down the stretch, but if they just saw him as a holdover that has worked out far better than expected, they'll have to start looking for more reinforcements.

      Ryan O'Hearn stands out as one of the only options at the position that could give the lineup a real boost. With a .456 slugging percentage and 133 OPS+, he's a hitter with qualities that compensate for the current lack of pop. As it stands, Jackson Chourio is the only hitter with a slugging percentage over .450 and the team's combined slugging percentage of .387 places them 23rd in MLB. 

      The only move Milwaukee has made so far is to acquire Danny Jansen to serve as their backup catcher, which does make the team better, but perhaps not enough to push them past their typical first round exit. In an ideal world, Andrew Vaughn would maintain his 234 OPS+ through the end of the season but reality will likely set in before long. Will is true abilities still be enough to take the Brewers to the next level or should they seek more help before it's too late?

       

      Jason Wang

      With the Timber Rattlers' season now over, Jesus Made will be making his way to Double-A Biloxi to help with their playoff run starting next week. Of course, this is more than a throwaway move and signals yet another major milestone for the 18-year-old.

      Made needed just 123 plate appearances with High-A Wisconsin to prove that he was ready for a step up in competition. Since being promoted in August, he has slashed .343/.415/.500 for a wRC+ of 157. Other than his walk rate, nearly every aspect of his offensive profile was an improvement from what he did with Single-A Carolina earlier in the year. 

      While in High-A, his top-notch bat-to-ball were on full display as he had a swinging strike percentage of just 9.2% and a contact rate of 78.9%. His walk rate did dip slightly but was still at a respectable 10.6% while his strikeout rate of 17.9% was also a slight improvement over his performance in Single-A. 

      We likely won't get a very meaningful sample of what he can do in Double-A given the small amount of remaining games but it could give fans a glimpse of what's to come starting next year. He's seemingly ahead of what's already a pretty accelerated schedule with an ETA of 2028 but could be on the doorstep of the big leagues as soon as next year. 

      Brandon Glick

      The 2025 Gold Glove finalists have been announced, and the Milwaukee Brewers have two representatives on the list.

      First up is second baseman Brice Turang, who earned -2 Outs Above Average, zero Fielding Run Value, and seven Defensive Runs Saved this season. While OAA and FRV weren't favorable to him, by DRS, he was the second-best second baseman in the NL in 2025. The only problem? Chicago Cubs keystone stopper Nico Hoerner lapped the field in each of those categories (14 OAA, 12 FRV, 17 DRS) and is a surefire bet to win the award this year. Xavier Edwards of the Marlins is the other finalist.

      Meanwhile, Frelick is competing with Corbin Carroll and Fernando Tatis Jr. for the award in right field. Tatis (eight OAA, nine FRV, 15 DRS) was better than Frelick (six OAA, seven FRV, nine DRS) in each of the primary three defensive counting stats and is likely the favorite after winning the award in 2023.

      Both Brewers players won the Gold Glove award at their respective positions last year, with Turang securing the fabled Platinum Glove for the best defender in the NL, regardless of position.

      Gold Glove winners will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 2.

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The Luis Matos experiment is over. It is now Tyler Black's opportunity.

      The Milwaukee Brewers called up Black, a first baseman, and left-hander Shane Drohan from Triple-A Nashville on Friday. Matos, an outfielder, was designated for assignment for the second time this season, while right-hander Carlos Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A.

      The 25-year-old Black was one of the Crew's top hitters during spring training, posting a crazy .550/.522/1.000 slash line with one homer and 14 RBIs in six Cactus League games. The trouble for Black, who is known for his bat and not his glove with a .270/.399/.441 career minor-league slash line, is hitting when given the chance at the MLB level.

      In 23 games with the Brewers, Black has a .211/.357/.263 slash line with no homers and three RBIs over 70 plate appearances. At Nashville this season, Black has a .282/.378/.410 slash line with one homer and six RBIs.

      The addition of Black, a left-handed hitter like Jake Bauers, could mean that Bauers sees more time in left field with Black getting chances at first base. The Brewers have been looking for ways to get more out of their offense with three starting position players, outfielder Jackson Chourio, designated hitter Christian Yelich and first baseman Andrew Vaughn, on the injured list and this could be a way. This is Black's first call-up this season after not making the Opening Day roster due to the presence of Bauers and Vaughn at first base.

      Matos was a possible solution for a bit of offense when Chourio began the season on the IL. The Brewers picked Matos up in a March 30 trade after he was DFA'd by the San Francisco Giants after not making the Opening Day roster there. But in nine games with the Crew, Matos had a slash line of .200/.238/.200 with no homers or RBIs and seven strikeouts in 20 at-bats. If Matos goes unclaimed on the waiver wire, he could be assigned to Nashville or released.

      Drohan is back for his second stint with the Brewers after getting a spot start April 8 vs. the Boston Red Sox, his previous team. Acquired in the six-player Caleb Durbin trade, Drohan lasted just 2⅔ innings, allowing three hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Barring a rotation move, Drohan is likely to fill Rodriguez's spot as a long man out of the bullpen.

      Rodriguez did well in his two relief appearances since being called up last weekend. He pitched two innings in mopup duty against the Miami Marlins on Sunday and the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with five strikeouts.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and we're looking to expand our video coverage. Have you ever considered being on-camera and talking about the Brewers? If yes, we'd love to talk to you about it.

      Our videos are typically in a wide variety of styles: breaking news, analysis, and historical study. We're open to any and all ideas as long as they're centered around the Milwaukee Brewers. We're looking for serious baseball talk, so leave the hot takes at home.

      If you'd like to learn more about this cool little side gig, please email Brock Beauchamp at brock.beauchamp@brewerfanatic.com.

      Here is an example of a recent Brewers video from us:

      Matthew Lenz

      The Milwaukee Brewers saw catcher William Contreras's production dip a little bit in 2025 due to a broken left middle finger. The finger had actually been broken since 2024, though no announcement was made until May of 2025.

      Brewers President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold provided an update, stating Contreras had "minor" surgery to repair his broken left middle finger. He's going to be sidelined for five to six weeks, but should otherwise be healthy by the time pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.

      Despite the dip, Contreras was still productive at the plate, sporting a 113 wRC+ over 659 plate appearances. He has 17 home runs and has stolen six bases as well. While those numbers are impressive considering the importance of your left hand for a right-handed batter, his most impressive feat may be that he played in 150 games, only second to J.T. Realmuto.

      Yesterday, the Brewers declined his $12 million option (earning Contreras a $100K buyout), meaning the two sides will go through arbitration again this season. The move is expected to save the Brewers less than $1 million, as MLBTR projects Contreras to make $11.1 million via arbitration.

      You have to wonder how that sits with Contreras, given the sacrifices he made for the team—is saving a few hundred thousand worth it with your superstar catcher? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

×
×
  • Create New...