Rob Zastryzny Returns as Brewers Start Reshaping Their Left-Handed Relief Mix

An old face returned to the Brewers' clubhouse on Friday. Left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny is back after Milwaukee acquired him from the New York Yankees in exchange for cash. Elvis Peguero was optioned to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move.

Zastryzny signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers in December 2023 after the two sides discovered they held a similar vision for the future of his revamped arsenal. It proved to be a productive partnership. The veteran posted a 3.03 ERA, 3.37 FIP, and 32.5% strikeout rate in 29 ⅔ Triple-A innings, earning him a midseason promotion. He pitched to a 1.17 ERA and 2.64 FIP in 7 ⅔ innings before an elbow injury sidelined him until the postseason. Zastryzny missed the team's Wild Card Series roster and was a roster crunch casualty in November, with the Chicago Cubs claiming him off waivers.

In 12 innings with New York's Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Zastryzny compiled a 4.50 ERA with a more encouraging 3.68 FIP. Baseball Prospectus' StuffPro model has graded each of his four pitches as above average or better.

The acquisition is another move to expedite the revamping of Pat Murphy's left-handed options in the bullpen. Before reuniting with Zastryzny, the Brewers also restructured Aaron Ashby and DL Hall's rehab plans to bring them back quicker as relievers. The decisions have come as Bryan Hudson's velocity and control have remained inconsistent.

"With Huddy having some issues with his command, I think we needed an extra lefty here," Pat Murphy said. "Ashby and DL are hopefully not too far behind."

Neither Ashby nor Hall has looked the sharpest to begin their stints with Nashville, but the latter's fastball showed encouraging signs in his first outing. Hall's four-seam fastball never resembled the plus pitch it was scouted as last season, averaging 14.3 inches of induced vertical break in the big leagues. In his first two innings on Wednesday, it averaged 16.3 inches and touched 20 inches, a benchmark he never reached last year.

"He's been training as a starter, but we might have a bigger need for him as a reliever," Murphy said. "I think that'll tick everything up."

With Zastryzny in tow and Ashby and Hall not far behind, Hudson's fall down the bullpen hierarchy continues. He was arguably the team's top reliever in the first half last year, but the Brewers optioned him after his velocity slipped in the second half. It hasn't returned consistently this season.

After averaging 91.7 mph through the 2024 All-Star break, Hudson's four-seamer has averaged 90.5 mph this year and ranged anywhere from 86 to 94 mph. His control has also disappeared, as he's walked 22.2% of batters faced in the big leagues this season.

Those issues prompted another demotion at the end of April. Hudson returned at the onset of Milwaukee's last road trip but only appeared once, requiring 50 pitches to record five outs in Cleveland on Monday. The Brewers optioned him two days later.

It's an unfortunate development for the funky southpaw, who looked at this time last year like the team's next great bullpen breakout story. With others surpassing him on the depth chart and only one option year remaining, he could lose his 40-man roster spot next offseason if he cannot recapture his past form.

Zastryzny is out of options, meaning the Brewers see him as more than temporary bullpen help if he performs. That will create a roster crunch if the club wants to add one of Ashby and Hall in a couple of weeks. Swingman Tyler Alexander, who has pitched primarily in short-range relief outings lately with mixed results, could be another candidate to lose his spot as part of a left-handed relief makeover.