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Before delving into the topic, it should be noted just how valuable Bryse Wilson was on Sunday in saving the rest of the bullpen, whose usage had been quite heavy in the wake of a doubleheader on Friday. The reinforcement of September roster expansion wasn’t of much use to the Brewers, who elected to reinstate DL Hall after his seven-inning epic on Friday instead of an available relief arm. As such, the Crew were left with only Jared Koenig and Wilson to support Tobias Myers and keep their pen fresh for the remainder of September.
Avoiding overuse will be of primary importance to the Brewers down the stretch, with a comfortable nine-game divisional lead over the Chicago Cubs (functionally, 10, because of the tiebreaker), but quality is still paramount while chasing a top-two seed and the playoff bye. It’s a delicate balance, but with the sheer volume of arms the Brewers have at their disposal, it may be that Wilson gets squeezed off the roster before the playoffs come.
It's therefore also notable that, with the intention of saving arms, Wilson was left out on the mound until the game finished. He has pitched into a fourth inning just once (in the middle of July) since leaving the starting rotation, and it appeared as though Pat Murphy had no plans to use any other bullpen arms in that contest. The lack of care toward the arm of Wilson, compared to other relievers, does give a hint as to how the Brewers see him on the depth chart at the moment.
The Brewers' current starting pitchers have struggled the third time through an order (see above), which prevents the club from getting the length out of their starters that you would need to make a six-man rotation viable--compared to an extra arm in the bullpen. Having the expanded roster may tweak this, but the likelihood is that DL Hall will get most of his innings in a long relief role (with the occasional start) in September.
Factoring that in, you have Joe Ross, Aaron Ashby and DL Hall all being used in multi-inning roles. All of them have shown more quality in performance out of the pen than Wilson. Since the start of July, Wilson has a 1.48 WHIP with an ERA of 5.00, all while seeing his workload gradually decrease. He threw 17 innings in July (and that includes an All-Star break), but just 10 innings in August--largely because of Joe Ross’s emergence.
Ross moved to a relief role on Aug. 6, but with five days less in the month, he pitched three innings more than Wilson, allowing just one earned run and a 0.85 WHIP. He’s looked extremely effective. Add in Ashby and Hall as converted starters who thus feel comfortable working multiple innings, and the squeeze on Wilson's role is obvious.
Nor is contract math on his side. Wilson is out of minor-league options and destined for a second trip through arbitration this winter. He figures to make upward of $3 million, if tendered a contract come November. The Brewers historically don’t give out large sums of money to relievers, especially not to those in lower-leverage spots. He’s a strong candidate to become a roster casualty this fall, if not sooner.
So, with four high-quality long relief options and little chance of a return engagement for the two parties in 2025, the pressure really ramps up on Wilson toward the middle of September. Nick Mears is expected to come back from elbow inflammation around then, and even if the recovery goes poorly, there’s still Elvis Peguero waiting in the wings.
If the team does cut Wilson this month, it will be a painful, cruel baseball moment. Wilson might well land with another contender for the final week or three, but if he does change teams now, he won't be eligible to pitch in the playoffs. Alas, that's the nature of the game. Despite yeoman's work across nearly two full seasons during which the team sometimes needed him desperately, Wilson is now an extra piece Milwaukee might not be able to carry.
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