TL Schwerz

The Milwaukee Brewers made a couple of procedural moves prior to action on Friday night. Former 5th overall pick from the 2016 draft, Corey Ray, was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville. Pitcher Jandel Gustave and catcher Pedro Severino also began rehab assignments with the Sounds. Corey Ray made his Major League debut in April last year appearing in a single game for Milwaukee. The outright removes him from the 40-man roster, a disappointing development for a guy that was a former top 100 prospect. Playing through injuries this year, he’s struggled mightily at Triple-A. Jandel Gustave has been out since mid-May with a hamstring injury. He’s pitched 13 innings for Milwaukee this season and has posted some of the best strikeout numbers in his career. Pedro Severino is getting game action in as his 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance is nearing an end. The Brewers roster shuffle will continue as Josh Hader is not with the team this weekend either. View full article

Just a day after being claimed on waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers, Chi Chi Gonzalez has been added to the active roster. All-Star closer Josh Hader has been placed on the Paternity List to make room. Josh Hader has again been one of baseball’s best relievers. His 0.92 ERA is a career low and his 19 saves lead the league. Going on the Paternity List, he is expected to miss three days for Milwaukee. Whether Chi Chi Gonzalez can carve out a spot in Milwaukee’s rotation remains to be seen. With both Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff currently out, the Brewers could use someone stepping up. Gonzalez will need a much better showing than he put up with the Colorado Rockies last season, or the Minnesota Twins in 2022. View full article

It’s been a wild week for former Minnesota Twins starter Chi Chi Gonzalez. He had his contract selected following an opt out and now is in a new organization following a DFA. Darren Wolfson noted that Minnesota Twins depth starter Chi Chi Gonzalez exercised an opt out in his contract on June 9. He had started for Minnesota in Toronto just a few days earlier after the roster was ravaged by injury and unvaccinated players. Following that start, Gonzalez was sent back to Triple-A St. Paul. Still at Triple-A, the opportunity to exercise an opt out came into play. With 48 hours to make a decision on Gonzalez, Minnesota decided to add him back to the 40 man roster and allow him to start in the big leagues on Saturday June 11 against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was again largely ineffective and handed another DFA after the game. This time, Gonzalez was claimed on waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. Still looking for viable arms in the starting rotation following a couple of key injuries, the Brew Crew seems willing to take a chance on the veteran arm. In doing so, they moved Freddy Peralta to the 60-day injured list. This doesn’t ultimately end Peralta’s season, but his injury has never been viewed as a short term situation. Gonzalez was hit around plenty in the National League last year with the Colorado Rockies. Maybe Milwaukee can capture lightning in a bottle for a period of time. View full article

Prior to their game on Saturday the Milwaukee Brewers were dealt a blow to the middle of the infield. After experiencing a right calf strain, second basemen Kolten Wong was placed on the injured list. Kolten Wong has been a mainstay for Milwaukee this year playing in 52 games. His stint on the injured list was retroactive to June 8, and he’ll look to return for the Brewers as soon as possible. Posting a .700 OPS this season, he’s been exactly league average at the plate. Milwaukee replaced Wong on the active roster by recalling second basemen Mark Mathias from Triple-A Nashville. Mathias made his Major League Debut during 2022 and has now played in four games for the Brewers this season. He’s got two hits in 11 at bats, one of which was a home run. Alongside the middle infield moves, Milwaukee also swapped out a reliever. Right hander Luke Barker was sent back to Triple-A in favor of fellow right hander Peter Strzelecki. Strzelecki has seen action in two games for the Brewers this season, working three innings and allowing just a single run. View full article

Just a couple of days after getting starting shortstop Willy Adames back in the starting lineup, the Milwaukee Brewers have also re-inserted catcher Omar Narvaez. Catcher Alex Jackson was played on the 10-day injured list to make room for the move. Omar Narvaez was originally placed on the injured list at the beginning of June. The issue created an immediate need for a catcher and Alex Hall was selected from Single-A to get a body on the bench. Eventually Alex Jackson replaced Hall as the team's backstop behind Victor Caratini. Narvaez returns to a .274/.364/.415 slash line for Milwaukee. His 119 OPS+ matches a career high mark he has previously held twice, but not since 2019 with the Seattle Mariners. Looking for added depth alongside Caratini, Narvaez's presence on the active roster will be much appreciated. Jackson appeared in just two games during Narvaez's absence. He was 1-for-5 with three strikeouts. Jackson is not being optioned, but rather placed on the injured list himself with a left middle finger sprain. That move is retroactive to June 7. View full article

After hitting the injured list roughly three weeks ago with a high-ankle sprain, Milwaukee Brewers starting shortstop Willy Adames returned to the starting lineup last night. Pablo Reyes was optioned to Triple-A Nashville making room on the active roster. Prior to last night's game, Willy Adames last appeared for the Brewers on May 15. He was lifted in that game during the 2nd inning due to the injury that would ultimately cost him just under of a month of time. Returning to a .766 OPS, Milwaukee was understandably excited to get back a bat that had been a contributor in their lineup. Facing the Philadelphia Phillies last night, Adames went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. An understandable amount of rust is going to be there missing that much live action, but Adames will be looking to get back in the groove. Already just one home run shy of double-digits on the season, Milwaukee's shortstop could threaten the career best 25 he put up last season. Pablo Reyes got in just four games while filling in on the Brewers infield, and he went 4-for-14 in game action. Reyes returns to a .794 OPS at Triple-A Nashville and should again be ready if there's a need to fill an infield spot on the left side for Milwaukee. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers get a boost to their lineup before tonight's game with the announcement that outfielder Hunter Renfroe has been activated from the injured list. Reliever Trevor Gott was placed on the injured list to make room on the active roster. Hunter Renfroe has been out of action for Milwaukee since May 23 when he left the game in the 4th inning against the San Diego Padres. Renfroe returns to a .266/.303/.503 slash line along with a career best 123 OPS+. Through 39 games in Milwaukee, Renfroe has paid dividends to a Brewers lineup looking to stay atop the NL Central. After seeing so many pitchers hit the injured list over the past few weeks, the Brewers have to be excited about getting back one of their key offensive assets. While replacing names like Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta may be impossible, mitigating their impact by scoring more runs is a decent strategy. Renfroe is playing right field and batting fifth tonight for Milwaukee. Trevor Gott's placement on the injured list is retroactive to June 6, and he's going down with a right groin strain. Gott has pitched 21 innings during his first season in Milwaukee, and he's posted a 3.86 ERA thus far. One of the better relievers in the Brewers bullpen, the hope would be that the time missed on the injured list is the minimum. View full article

Milwaukee didn’t need to make a Major League roster move yesterday for the first time in a while, but they did find the results of a waiver situation. After designating catcher Alex Hall for assignment, he went unclaimed on waivers and stayed in the organization. After Omar Narvaez went down with Covid for the Brewers, Milwaukee needed a warm body to stand behind the plate in a pinch. They selected the contract of Alex Hall given the proximity while he was with Single-A Wisconsin. Once they were able to promote Alex Jackson from Triple-A Nashville, Hall was jettisoned from the 40-man roster. A 22-year-old non-prospect at Single-A, he predictably went unclaimed and then found himself outrighted back to the Timber Rattlers. Hall did not appear in a game for Milwaukee and will return to the lower level of the farm system with hopes of working his way back to a Major League debut. Jackson takes over in a rotational role with fellow backstop Victor Caratini. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers were busy this afternoon with a host of moves impacting the active roster. Just a day after catcher Alex Hall was promoted to replace Omar Narvaez on the roster, he was designated for assignment. That was just one of six pre-game transactions today. Alex Hall was called up as a replacement for Omar Narvaez solely because he was in Wisconsin. A 22-year-old in High-A, the hope was that he’d have made an appearance before being jettisoned, but the opportunity never presented itself last night. Hall is replaced on the active roster by Alex Jackson, a catcher recalled from Triple-A Nashville. Coming with Jackson are infielder Pablo Reyes, and right-handed pitcher Luke Barker. They take the roster spots of Mike Brosseau and Peter Strzelecki. Brosseau hit the injured list with a right ankle sprain. Brosseau is having a solid year for Milwaukee posting a 118 OPS+ across 31 games. He has primarily played on the left side of the infield. Torres will now shuffle in to take some of those at bats while he’s out. A former 6th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves, Jackson is now on his third organization. He has played in three games for Milwaukee this year and will have a chance to rotate reps with Victor Caratini as long as Narvaez is out. Barker returns just days after previously being up taking the roster spot of Ethan Small. View full article

Prior to Thursday's game the Milwaukee Brewers made a move that didn't involve pitching for the first time in a while. Catcher Omar Narvaez was placed on the injured list with Covid. Needing to replace him on the active roster, Alex Hall was selected from High-A Wisconsin. Omar Narvaez has had a strong season for the Brewers posting a .779 OPS across 32 games. His .274 average is above the career mark of .267 and he's been a mainstay in Milwaukee's lineup. While landing on the 10-day injured list with Covid should not have him out long, the Brewers will have to hope there's no lingering side effects. On the flip side, it's quite the promotion for 22-year-old Alex Hall. Undrafted out of Australia, Hall is making the leap from High-A. With the Covid list not requiring a 40-man roster move, Hall is able to be added for Milwaukee without any roster shuffling. He's played in just six games this year, with a .698 OPS, but the small sample size has resulted in some of the best numbers of his career. Given the promotion likely being one of proximity, it should be assumed that Narvaez will simply miss the minimum and then tag back in. One would hope that Hall will get into a game before being optioned, however, and that would be a pretty fun opportunity for him to make a Major League debut. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff has been somewhat of a revolving door of late. With rotation injuries to Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff, then topped by ineffectiveness following an Ethan Small promotion, the Brew Crew has needed plenty of fresh arms. Jason Alexander is the latest to be called upon. Making his Major League debut when starting last night for Milwaukee, Jason Alexander posted seven strong innings against the Chicago Cubs. Allowing just three runs (two earned) on seven hits, Alexander stuck out and walked three apiece. With the game tied at three when he departed, Alexander was not in line for his first victory. Ultimately Chicago plated a run in the bottom of the 10th inning to take the victory. Jake Cousins was transferred from the 10-day to 60-day injured list in order to free up a 40-man roster spot for Alexander. Luke Barker, who was recently promoted to the Brewers, was optioned to Triple-A Nashville to make room on the 26-man roster. Alexander threw just 19 2/3 innings across three levels last season, but the 1.37 ERA was strong. Pitching solely at Triple-A Nashville this year, his 2.64 ERA across 47 2/3 innings has been equally impressive. There's not much reason to believe anyone will fill the shoes of Woodruff or Peralta as long as they are out, but Alexander certainly did well to give himself another shot at a second start after a good performance Wednesday. Milwaukee needs healthy bodies on the mound right now, and performing well should keep them afloat until the horses can return. View full article

On Monday the Milwaukee Brewers selected Ethan Small, a top pitching prospect, to make his Major League debut. The hope is that he would’ve filled in for the recently injured Freddy Peralta or Brandon Woodruff. Instead, he was shaky and optioned after his start, in favor of right-handed pitcher Luke Barker. Luke Barker is a 30-year-old right-handed reliever. He entered the Milwaukee Brewers system as an undrafted signee at 25-years-old. Barker made it to Triple-A in 2019 but was set back by a 2020 season in which Covid canceled the minor leagues. He spent all of 2021 at Triple-A and posted a sparkling 2.35 ERA with an 11.3 K/9. Headed back to Nashville starting off 2022, Barker continued his dominance in relief. Working 19 innings thus far this season, Barker posted a 3.79 ERA with a 9.0 K/9. He’s given up more walks this season, but cut down on the homers. If something has burned him it’s been the additional baserunners having allowed a few more hits. Barker will have appeared in 190 minor league games prior to making his Major League debut. It could be a short stint as Milwaukee continues to look for answers in the rotation with both Peralta and Woodruff shelved at the moment. Making room for Barker to be added onto the 40-man roster, Milwaukee transferred Justin Topa to the 60 day injured list. View full article

The hits just keep coming for the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff. Just days after losing Freddy Peralta for a considerable amount of time, Brandon Woodruff winds up on the injured list due to a right ankle sprain. Today was supposed to be highlighted by the promotion of pitching prospect Ethan Small. Set to make his Major League debut, Small looked to be a strong option at the back end of the starting rotation. While it’s Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes that highlight a strong group, Small could help to mitigate the blow felt by losing Peralta. Instead, a damper is felt when losing Woodruff as well. Placed on the injured list with what’s being called a right ankle sprain, Woodruff’s timeline is backdated to May 28. The hope would be that Milwaukee’s star only misses the minimum amount of time, but that will be no less than two turns through the rotation. For a club that is so heavily reliant on the strength of their pitchers, they’ve been dealt multiple significant blows in a short span. Taking Woodruff’s spot on the active roster is right-hander Peter Strzelecki from Triple-A. When he gets into a game for Milwaukee, Strzelecki will be making his Major League debut. The 27-year-old has been in Milwaukee’s organization since 2018 and has racked up 156 2/3 innings as a reliever. At Triple-A Nashville this season, Strzelecki owns a 3.86 ERA and a 14.3 K/9 across 16 1/3 innings. In a bit of good news, the Brewers sent Willy Adames out to Triple-A Nashville on a rehab stint. Adames has a .766 OPS this season for Milwaukee and his 114 OPS+ could help to provide depth for a lineup trying to stay atop the NL Central. View full article