Is Bullpen Help Brewing On The Farm?

Even with Houser and Varland returning, there is a question in the mind of some fans – is any help on the way from the farm? Let’s look over what there is – both on the 40-man roster and some intriguing options off the roster.

From The 40-Man Roster

J.B. Bukauskas
Bukauskas was a waiver wire claim from the Mariners. To date, he’s seen action in three games with Nashville, posting a 4.50 ERA and notching six strikeouts in four innings. He also saw an inning of action with the Mariners.

Alex Claudio
Claudio has been solid at Nashville and made one appearance when Hoby Milner needed a day off, and the Crew needed a lefty. Given his past track record in MLB, he could be called up again.

Jake Cousins
Cousins has been up and down, racking up a lot of strikeouts in Nashville while posting a 1.93 ERA. He performed well in 2021 and 2022 before going on the injured list, so he is an option for the Crew.

Trevor Megill
Megill was acquired from the Twins for the ever-familiar player to be named later and some cash. He got rocked with the Twins AAA affiliate but pitched a scoreless inning in his Nashville debut. He’ll need to show that the St. Paul numbers were an aberration.

Tyson Miller
Miller dominated in Nashville and posted a 1.93 ERA in Milwaukee despite only a 3.9 K/IP ratio. He could easily help out if called up again.

Cam Robinson
This Top-30 MLB Pipeline prospect had a rough go in Nashville but has rebounded in Biloxi, posting two saves. He could still be an asset for the Crew, but it may not be until 2024.

Ethan Small
The Brewers’ first-round pick in 2019, Small, shows solid multi-inning relief capability in Nashville, which could be good news for the Brewers’ bullpen.

Bennett Sousa
Sousa was purchased from the Reds and pitched decently at Nashville before coming up to handle some “garbage” time in the Brewers’ 9-3 win over the Dodgers.

Abner Uribe
Uribe has dominated in Biloxi, and his 103mph heat could be very useful for the Brewers. His ERA is 1.00, and he has a couple of saves.

Other Options

Lucas Erceg
The converted third baseman has posted solid numbers since being promoted to AAA in 2022 and has shown he can go multiple innings in a given outing, too. Plus, his bat flashed some OBP and power so that he could be used as a pinch-hitter in a real pinch.

Clayton Andrews
Andrews has rebounded from two seasons marred by time on the injured list to post a 2.53 ERA and a WHIP of 0.983. While he hasn’t pitched more than one and a third innings in an outing yet, he is doing very well, and like Erceg, he flashed some two-way potential with a high-contact bat and some speed in college and the minors.

James Meeker
Meeker has dominated since his 2022 promotion to AA Biloxi and could bump Megill or Bukauskas from the 40-man roster (and Nashville) at any point in the 2023 season.

Darrell Thompson
Like Meeker, Thompson is older than your typical prospect, but he has dominated since his arrival and could be a credible option. Five of his nine appearances have been for over an inning.

Overview
The Brewers can count on some help for the bullpen from the farm system. Some of the best options are not on the 40-man roster, which could make things very interesting in the next few months. Erceg and Andrews could end up on another MLB roster if not added to the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, Meeker and Thompson could be solid options for a few years.