Post-Injury Jared Koenig Isn't the Same Pitcher. Can He Get It Back in Nashville?

When the Brewers activated newly-acquired Lance McCullers Jr. from the injured list on Friday afternoon, they optioned left-handed reliever Jared Koenig to Triple-A Nashville. It was not a surprising corresponding move, as Koenig allowed five runs (including two walks and a hit-by-pitch) without recording an out in Pittsburgh on Sunday. But it's the latest frustrating chapter in the 2026 season for the veteran southpaw, who was Pat Murphy's Swiss Army knife in each of the last two seasons. His velocity dropped in spring training, and while he avoided surgery for a left UCL sprain, he's pitched to a 4.82 xERA and 6.38 FIP when healthy.

"He's been right in the thick of it, maybe underrated, so much in the thick of it," Murphy said. "And to see him go out there and try to compete without his best stuff, he just can't get on track. And the injury in spring, the rehab and the coming back, it just isn't on track."

Koenig returned from the injured list at the end of June, and while his stuff and command were inconsistent throughout his rehab assignment, the initial returns after his activation were promising. In his first outing back, his sinker averaged 95.2 MPH and touched 97 in a scoreless inning. The wheels quickly fell off, though, as he allowed seven earned runs and issued six free bases in 4 ⅔ innings after that.

"There was a pitch here or there, you're like, 'Wow,'" Murphy said. "But you look at the properties of the pitches, and it's not the same guy."

Koenig's overall movement profile hasn't changed dramatically, but it seems like he isn't finishing his pitches as he once did. There's the obvious velocity drop of his sinker (down from 95.8 MPH last year to 94.2 this season). Furthermore, his secondary pitches are moving similarly, but not quite the same way. His cutter is backing up, with slight arm-side run; his changeup has less fade; and his curveball has less depth. Put all of that together, and stuff modeling metrics believe his arsenal is noticeably worse right now.

He clearly wasn't trusting his stuff in the same way, either. At his best, Koenig succeeded by aggressively attacking the strike zone with his deceptive sinker, which looked out of his hand like it would cut to the glove side before running back over the plate. Not only has his control vanished since he came back, but he's thrown significantly more changeups to right-handers and cutters to lefties, instead of trusting his sinker.

"Now he's [in a] 3-1 [count], now he's nitpicking, now he's pitching like he never has," Murphy said. "He knows he's not helping us, and all that hurts."

Murphy said Koenig already knew the move was coming, as he and the Brewers spent recent days developing a plan to get him back to form. Although he was optioned to Nashville, he'll first head to the club's spring training complex in Arizona, where he can focus exclusively on improving his delivery to rediscover his velocity and pitch shapes. That's easier to do in a more controlled environment than at the big-league level.

"He didn't feel like he could get the work in between either, because he had to be available, right? So it's hard to be available and get your work in between," Murphy said. "So hopefully we can set up something where he gets his work, gets his delivery locked down, the properties of his pitches start to increase with a little more rest in between."

Koenig's status underscores Milwaukee's need for more pitching help ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. Middle relievers often have short shelf lives, so even if his stuff is not far off from usual, the Brewers are best advised not to expect him to bounce back. Without Koenig, Aaron Ashby is their lone active left-handed reliever, although DL Hall is nearing a rehab assignment.

The front office could directly fortify that group by trading for a reliever or two, or it could add another starter to bump Shane Drohan or Robert Gasser to the bullpen. Even after acquiring McCullers and Colton Gordon, they should still be scouring both markets in the coming weeks. Koenig has been a trusted and well-liked piece of their bullpen for longer than many middle relievers last, but at this point, anything he can give them down the stretch is gravy.