TL Schwerz

The Milwaukee Brewers got some reinforcements over the past two days in the form of returning pitchers. Aaron Ashby was activated off the injured list on Tuesday with Trevor Gott being activated prior to Wednesday’s game. Making room for Aaron Ashby and Trevor Gott, Milwaukee sent both Jason Alexander and Justin Topa to Triple-A Nashville. Ashby spent exactly one month on the injured list after experiencing inflammation in his shoulder. He returned Tuesday and made the start, going two innings. Ashby allowed just one hit while walking and striking out two apiece. The Brewers have been without Gott since August 10. His forearm was the reason he landed on the injured list, and the hope would be that the injury is behind him. Gott returns to a 4.03 ERA across 38 innings this season for Milwaukee. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers have remained largely static for the past week or so with regards to their 28-man big league roster. On Monday however, the club recalled Jake Cousins while sending Trevor Kelley to Triple-A Nashville. Trevor Kelley has appeared in 18 games for Milwaukee this year, but hasn’t brought the minor league results with him. Owning a 1.78 ERA at Triple-A Nashville, Kelley has been roughed up to the tune of a 6.08 ERA in 23 2/3 innings for the Brewers. Allowing next to no homers on the farm, the longball has been his bugaboo at the Major League level. Jake Cousins has appeared in just eight games for Milwaukee this season after returning from injury. Across eight innings he’s allowed eight hits and four runs with a 13/5 K/BB. The strikeout numbers for Cousins have always been massive, but the walks have often put him in a position to get burned. When Cousins appears in a game for Milwaukee, it will be his first appearance in the Majors since April 30. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers are still attempting to secure a spot in the 2022 Major League Baseball postseason, but this afternoon the focus turned to minor league action. With the Arizona Fall League rosters being unveiled, Milwaukee fans found out who would be representing the Brewers in Glendale. Ultimately the Brewers chose eight prospects to roster with Glendale in the Arizona Fall League. Brewer Fanatic’s 7th ranked prospect Tyler Black headlines the group, but there’s plenty of intrigue to look into across the participants. Here’s a bit about each: Tyler Black (7) - 2B - A+ - 64 G .281/.406/.424 13 2B 4 3B 4 HR Black is a native Canadian and was selected in the 1st round (33rd overall) out of Wright State by the Brewers in the 2021 MLB draft. He posted a .748 OPS in his first pro season across 26 games. Playing the entirety of 2022 at High-A, Black has actually walked more than he’s struck out, and while power hasn’t played, he’s shown a good deal of plate discipline. Milwaukee is certainly looking to get him more game action with him logging so few this year. He’s coming back from a left scapula fracture over the summer. Jeferson Quero (9) - C - A/A+ - 95 G .286/.342/.439 22 2B 2 3B 10 HR The Brewers signed Quero out of Venezuela as an international free agent back in 2019. He debuted in the Arizona Complex League last season, and has been playing in full-seasons leagues for the duration of this year. Quero earned a promotion after posting a .757 OPS with Low-A Carolina, and while the sample size for High-A Wisconsin is just 20 games, he’s held his own with an .860 OPS. Russell Smith - LHP - A+ - 15 G 68.1 IP 4.87 ERA 8.2 K/9 3.6 BB/9 Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2021 MLB draft, Smith was taken from Texas Christian University. He didn’t pitch after being selected last season, and made his professional debut at High-A this season. Strikeouts have dropped a bit from where he was as a collegiate arm, and he just barely surpassed 100 innings over the course of three seasons with the Horned Frogs. Milwaukee is certainly looking to build up his arm a bit more before the offseason. Logan Henderson - RHP - Rk/A - 7 G 13.2 IP 3.95 ERA 15.1 K/9 4.0 BB/9 Taken in the 4th round of the 2021 MLB draft from McClennan Community College, this is Henderson’s first season of professional baseball. He’s been eased into action throwing less than two innings per start on average. The 23 strikeouts are impressive, and he’ll look to continue refining command against some solid competition. Abner Uribe - RHP- AA - 2 G 3.0 IP 0.00 ERA 4 K 4 BB A 22-year old reliever, Uribe is working his way back from injury. He tore his meniscus back in April and underwent surgery to repair his knee. Uribe pitched for Salt River last season in the Arizona Fall League, and will return again this year. Just recently turning 22-years-old, Uribe threw 33 2/3 innings for Carolina last season and could be an option for a longer Double-A stint in 2023. Ryan Middendorf - RHP - Rk/A/A+/AA - 21 G 41.1 IP 2.18 ERA 13.1 K/9 2.4 BB/9 Middendorft went undrafted out of Lake Erie College and was playing with Schaumburg in the Frontier League when the Brewers signed him. He’s made stops at four different levels of the Milwaukee system this season, and although he struggled most at Double-A, the strikeout numbers alongside command are encouraging. Purely a reliever, the Brewers are allowing him to test stuff against stiffer competition. Je’Von Ward - OF - Has not played in 2021 Milwaukee made Ward their 12th round pick back in 2017 and his career has been a bit stunted. Not playing at all in 2020 due to the pandemic canceled minor league season, and now having not appeared in 2022 due to injury, he’ll look to get in game action during the Arizona Fall League slate. Zavier Warren - INF - A+/AA 125 G .224/.304/.367 28 2B 2 3B 11 HR Taken in the third round of the 2020 MLB draft by Milwaukee, Warren has exclusively played first and third base on the farm this year. He’s struggled quite a bit offensively, although his plate discipline has actually been better since the move to Double-A. He has played 20 games at catcher during his pro career, and there’s some thought he may benefit from a switch back behind the plate. Who are you excited about seeing represent the Brewers in Arizona? Were there any prospects not invited you were disappointed about? View full article

Over the weekend Milwaukee made a handful of transactions that impacted the Major League roster. Starter Freddy Peralta was placed back on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, and he was joined by Eric Lauer, who’s dealing with left elbow inflammation. Trevor Kelley was recalled from Triple-A Nashville. Freddy Peralta was forced from the game during his last start due to shoulder fatigue. Now officially diagnosed as shoulder inflammation, he returns to the IL after originally being placed there back in May. Peralta has been great for the Brewers this year tallying a 3.45 ERA across 15 starts. Eric Lauer has been reliable and healthy for Milwaukee this year making 26 starts and pitching 145 innings. His 3.91 ERA is workable and he’s been a solid back-end starter. Now hitting the injured list, it’s all but certain his season could be over. The Brewers will have to piece together their rotation during the season’s final weeks. Milwaukee recalled Trevor Kelley to eat innings as a reliever. He returns to a 6.00 ERA across 21 innings this season. The developments to the starting rotation are not good for the Brewers. As they try to remain in the hunt for postseason positioning, losing two key arms is quite the blow. Milwaukee has dealt with starting pitching injuries all year, and they’ll have to again juggle the group. View full article

Getting set for a doubleheader today against the San Francisco Giants, the Milwaukee Brewers made a trio of transactions to set their roster. With an additional spot open due to the doubleheader, they activated infielder Mike Brosseau and recalled pitcher Justin Topa, while only needing to option infielder Esteury Ruiz. On Tuesday Mike Brosseau began a rehab assignment with the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. It’s traditionally been Milwaukee’s process this year to send a player to the Single-A affiliate when they’d quickly be activated. Brosseau played in two games for the Timber Rattlers, going 3-for-5, before his activation today. Justin Topa has been working towards a return all season and began pitching again in July. He joined Triple-A Nashville at the end of July and has posted a 3.71 ERA across 17 innings. Topa threw just 3 1/3 innings at the Major League level last season for Milwaukee and the 31-year-old has just 11 career-to-date. Esteury Ruiz was sent back to Triple-A after most recently being recalled on September 1. View full article

Yesterday the Milwaukee Brewers sent infielder Mike Brosseau out on a rehab assignment to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He has been on the injured list since late August and is looking to get back to the big leagues. After suffering a strained right oblique injury, Mike Brosseau was put on the injured list effective August 23. He is one game shy of tying his career-best games played mark, and considering his 114 OPS+ being a solid mark, the Brewers would like him back sooner rather than later. In his return to action last night, Brosseau went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Given the Brewers actions this season, sending him to Single-A suggests a short stint and keeps him in close proximity for a quick return. Milwaukee is reeling in the National League Central Division and desperately trying to chase down the St. Louis Cardinals. View full article

Prior to Wednesday’s game the Milwaukee Brewers made a handful of pitching moves. Jake Cousins was activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Trevor Kelley joined him there, and J.C. Mejia cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. Taking a spot on the active roster, Adrian Houser was activated from the injured list. Most notably here is the return of starting pitcher Adrian Houser. Houser has made 15 starts for Milwaukee this season and owns a 5.15 ERA. His 4.23 FIP paints a much prettier picture however, and he’s been a mainstay on the active roster for years. Houser returns to a 7.0 K/9 this season. His trouble has been more regarding base hits (10.0 H/9) rather than giving up too many longballs (0.9 HR/9). Jake Cousins has thrown just eight innings in the majors this year, and last pitched for Milwaukee on April 30. He’ll look to make his way back into the big-league bullpen as soon as he’s completely ready to go. Trevor Kelley has thrown 21 innings for the Brewers and owns a 6.00 ERA. He’s still looking for a way to translate the 2.00 ERA across 27 Triple-A innings to the majors. Kelley has struck out 12.0 per nine with Nashville, but has allowed a whopping seven homers in his time at the Major League level. J.C. Mejia was recently designated for assignment but stays in the organization accepting an outright to Nashville. View full article

Prior to their game yesterday the Milwaukee Brewers sent third baseman Mike Brosseau to the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Taking his place on the active roster was Pablo Reyes, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville. This season Mike Brosseau has had somewhat of a coming out party for the Brewers. He owns a 113 OPS+ across 56 games. He previously put up a 160 OPS+ with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019, but that was in a shorter 36 game span. Brosseau is one off of his career high in homers during a single-season with five, and he’s right on par in both runs batted in and walks. Pablo Reyes returned to the Brewers and has now played five games this season with Milwaukee. He’s gone 4-for-15 with a walk and has yet to contribute an extra-base hit. Reyes is in his second season with Milwaukee and has impressed at Triple-A Nashville owning an .829 OPS in his age-28 season. Milwaukee did also start infielder Jace Peterson on a rehab assignment with the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Peterson last played a Major League game on July 17 and owns a career best 114 OPS+ across 80 games. The Brewers would be quite pleased to welcome him back onto the active roster in short order. View full article

If there’s been something that’s a constant for Milwaukee this year it’s been injuries to their starting pitching staff. The latest casualty was Aaron Ashby. Earlier this year the Milwaukee Brewers inked Aaron Ashby to a five-year contract extension worth $20.5 million. It can effectively stretch to a seven-year deal worth $46 million. Unfortunately, for now he won’t be able to help the team on the field. After making a start on August 19, allowing six runs on eight hits across five innings, Ashby was reported to have an arm issue. Today it was announced he was being placed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation. The move was retroactive to August 20. The hope would be that Ashby will just miss the minimum for Milwaukee, but they trail in the National League Central division and can’t afford to be without one of their key starters for any amount of time. He owns a 4.58 ERA across 96.1 innings this season. Recalled to take his roster spot, Jason Alexander returns to the Major League roster again this season. He’s made seven spot starts and appeared in 12 games totaling 48 2/3 innings. Alexander owns a 5.18 ERA and will look to give the Brewers better work than he has thus far. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers have been without the services of their veteran catcher Omar Narvaez since he was placed on the injured list on August 4th. Now over the left quadriceps strain, he’s back in the big leagues. He's expected to be activated by the club on Saturday. Milwaukee sent Omar Narvaez to Triple-A Nashville on August 16 to begin a rehab assignment. Now just three days later, he’s back in the major league clubhouse and looking to give the Brewers a boost as they angle towards the postseason. Craig Counsell’s club is locked in a race with the St. Louis Cardinals, the only other team in the NL Central trying this season. Narvaez brings a steadying veteran presence behind the plate, and that’s needed after the tumultuous tenure that Pedro Severino displayed this season. Although soft tissue injuries can linger, Narvaez and Milwaukee are both hoping the brief time off was enough to put this in the rearview mirror. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers were in action today against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While they didn’t put anyone new on the active roster, a pair of 40-man moves were made anyways. J.C. Mejia, who was on the 26-man roster, was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Catcher Jakson Reetz was designated for assignment. J.C. Mejia was activated on August 7th after having not pitched since May due to serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the banned substance Stanozolol. He didn’t get into a game after finishing his suspension term, however, and heads back to Triple-A having pitched just 2 1/3 innings at the Major League Level this season. Mejia has thrown a total of 14 1/3 innings across rehab stints split between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville. He’ll remain as depth until called upon again. Jakson Reetz is a former third round pick by the Washington Nationals and made his Major League debut last season. He didn’t appear for Milwaukee this year and played just 19 games at Triple-A. Across nearly 70 games at Double-A, Reetz owned a 1.028 OPS with 22 homers. The Brewers free up a 40-man spot and send him through waivers with the move. View full article

As has been the case for most of the 2022 Major League Baseball season, the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff remains in flux. Prior to yesterday’s action the club recalled Trevor Kelley and optioned Jason Alexander to Triple-A Nashville. Trevor Kelley is in his first year with the Brewers and is pitching in the majors this season after not making an appearance during 2021. He’s thrown 19 innings for the Brew Crew and owns a 6.63 ERA. He does have a 9.0 K/9 this season, but he’s allowed seven homers and that’s absolutely done him in. Kelley continues to get chances as he’s posted a 2.00 ERA across 27 innings at Triple-A. His minor league 36/8 K/BB is outstanding, and he’s given up just a single longball throughout his work for Nashville. Jason Alexander returns to the Sounds owning a 5.18 ERA at the Major League level. Working as a spot starter, Alexander has pitched 48 2/3 innings but owns a paltry 25/20 K/BB. Allowing 11.3 H/9 has made finding success pretty difficult as well. Although Alexander still doesn’t strike anyone out at the minor league level (he owns just a 6.2 K/9), he has seen success to the tune of a 2.47 ERA across 58 1/3 innings. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers traded first baseman Tyler White to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations. They also had both catcher Omar Narvaez and pitcher Trevor Rosenthal start rehab assignments with Triple-A Nashville. Tyler White hasn’t played in the majors since 2019, and he spent 2020 playing overseas in the Korean Baseball Organization. After a stint at Triple-A with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, White signed as a minor league free agent for Milwaukee this year. Across 75 games he posted a .788 OPS with 13 homers and a 69/50 K/BB. The Brewers decided this was depth they wouldn’t be using and sent White to Atlanta. Omar Narvaez has been on the injured list since August 4th with a left quad strain. He was signed to a one-year, $5 million deal this offseason and has played in 60 games for Milwaukee. His .687 OPS checks in at a 94 OPS+, just below league average. A veteran behind the dish, Narvaez is definitely someone that Craig Counsell would like to have back in the mix sooner rather than later. At the trade deadline, Milwaukee swung a deal for Trevor Rosenthal. After he was signed by the San Francisco Giants, Rosenthal never wound up pitching before being dealt to his new team. Suffering a hamstring injury during his showcase, the injury needed to heal before he could return to action. Rosenthal last pitched in the majors during the 2020 season, but his velocity showed well during a session for scouts earlier this summer. When healthy, he’s been an exceptional relief asset being able to contribute with strikeouts and high velocity. Milwaukee eagerly awaits the return of both veterans to the 26-man roster. View full article