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Jean Segura Retires

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Longtime MLB infielder Jean Segura has retired, according to a social media post from his representatives at CAA. Segura last appeared in the majors in 2023 and spent time in Triple-A with the Orioles last season.

Segura had an accomplished 12-year big league run. The Dominican Republic native signed as an amateur with the Angels in 2007. He was one of the sport’s top prospects when he debuted with the Halos in July 2012. Segura played one game, then was traded to Milwaukee less than a week later as the centerpiece of the prospect package for Zack Greinke.

The Brewers immediately installed Segura as their starting shortstop. He held that role for the next three and a half seasons. His first full season was his best in Milwaukee, as he hit .294 to earn an All-Star selection. His production plummeted between 2014-15. The Brewers moved on before the ’16 season, moving him to the Diamondbacks in a deal for starter Chase Anderson and minor league second baseman Isan Díaz.

Segura only spent one season in the desert, but it was the best year of his career. He led the National League with 203 hits while posting a .319/.368/.499 line over 694 plate appearances. He set personal highs in all three slash stats. He tallied a career-high 41 doubles and hit 20 home runs for the only time. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each credited him with over six wins above replacement.

Fantastic as Segura’s season was, his greatest impact on the Arizona organization came the following winter. They packaged him alongside Mitch Haniger to Seattle for Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker. Marte is on track to spend over a decade with the Snakes and has become one of the best players in franchise history.

The Mariners signed Segura to a five-year, $70MM extension midway through his first season in the Pacific Northwest. He would only spend one year of that contract in Seattle, though he remained an above-average regular during his time there. He hit .300 or better in both years and slashed .302/.345/.421 in nearly 1200 plate appearances overall. He was on the move again during the 2018-19 offseason. The M’s dealt him to Philadelphia in a deal that netted J.P. Crawford.

The move worked out well for both clubs. Crawford has developed into Seattle’s long-term answer at shortstop. Segura was a solid regular over four seasons with the Phils — first at shortstop, then for three seasons at second base. He hit .281/.337/.418 in 427 games in a Philadelphia uniform. It was his second-longest run with one team, trailing his early-career stint in Milwaukee. It also afforded him the only playoff experience of his career. Segura was a regular throughout the Phils’ pennant run in 2022, though he hit .214 in 17 postseason games.

Philadelphia bought out Segura’s $17MM club option for the 2023 season. That sent him to the free agent market for the first time. He signed a two-year, $17MM contract with the Marlins to move to third base. The deal did not pan out, as he hit .219/.277/.279 across 85 games for the Fish. They traded him to the Guardians in a salary swap for Josh Bell at the ’23 deadline. Cleveland immediately released him, and Segura’s final game as a Marlin turned out to be his last in the big leagues.

While his last season didn’t go well, Segura can look back on a very good major league career. He finishes with a .281/.327/.401 batting line in more than 1400 games. He topped 1500 hits, connected on 110 home runs, and stole 211 bases. Segura drove in 513 runs and scored 737 times. He hit .300 on three occasions, made a pair of All-Star Games, and received down-ballot MVP votes for his year in Arizona. Baseball Reference calculates his lifetime earnings close to $106MM. He was a part of five notable trades, two of which remain consequential today. MLBTR congratulates Segura on his run and wishes him the best in his post-playing days.

Image courtesy of John Geliebter, Imagn Images.

Kolten Wong Announces Retirement

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Veteran infielder Kolten Wong announced his retirement from professional baseball earlier today at his alma mater, University of Hawaii, as relayed by Brian McInnis of Spectrum News. Wong was in town to throw out the first pitch at a game against UC San Diego.

“Pretty much right now, I’m done,” Wong said, as relayed by McInnis. “I’ve kind of come to the conclusion that I’m probably going to be hanging them up. It’s just one of those things where, the game how it’s going now, there’s no sense of chasing (it). … I’m a dad now, yes, I’m enjoying that. I’m trying to be the best big league dad that I can be. So I’m going to stick to that.”

A veteran of 11 MLB seasons, the 34-year-old Wong was drafted 22nd overall by the Cardinals back in 2011. He made his way to the majors for a brief cup of coffee just two years later, but his big league career began in earnest during the 2014 season. That year, Wong appeared in 113 games for the Cardinals and finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Jacob deGrom and Billy Hamilton after slashing .249/.292/.388 in 433 trips to the plate while playing second base exclusively for St. Louis. Wong would go on as a roughly average regular with the Cards for a few years, getting a brief look in the outfield during the 2016 season to accommodate occasional reps at the position for Matt Carpenter and Jedd Gyorko but otherwise remaining locked in as the club’s everyday second baseman thanks to nearly average offense (92 wRC+) and fantastic defense at the keystone.

Wong enjoyed something of a breakout during his age-26 season with the Cardinals in 2017, as he slashed .285/.376/.412 with a 108 wRC+. It was his best offensive season to that point in his career, and while injuries limited him to just 108 games that year he would turn in above average results overall at the plate from the start of that season onward. That was a fortuitous step forward for the Cardinals, seeing as it came in just the second year of a five-year, $25.5MM extension the sides agreed to prior to the 2016 season. Wong hit a combined .273/.356/.398 (104 wRC+) while playing stellar defense over the course of his final four years in St. Louis, even earning Gold Glove awards for his work at second base during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Aside from that solid regular season production, Wong departed St. Louis with a solid postseason resume, having slashed .206/.243/.464 with five homers, four stolen bases, eight doubles, and a triple in 104 postseason plate appearances for the Cards. The Cardinals ultimately declined Wong’s 2021 club option and allowed him to test free agency in order to create an everyday spot in the lineup for utility man Tommy Edman. Wong eventually signed with the Brewers on a two-year, $18MM guarantee that came with a club option for the 2023 season. Wong’s defensive numbers took a step back during his time in Milwaukee as he entered his age-30 season, but his offense was better than ever as he hit a strong .262/.337/.439 (113 wRC+) across his two campaigns with the club.

Unlike the Cardinals before them, the Brewers did pick up his third year club option. With that being said, he still found himself in another uniform prior to the 2023 campaign as he was traded to the Mariners in a deal that brought Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to Milwaukee. It’s a deal that didn’t work out for anyone, as none of those players were particularly effective for their new clubs. Wong struggled mightily during his time in Seattle, hitting just .165/.241/.227 across 67 games before he was released in early August.

Wong signed with the Dodgers on a minor league deal shortly thereafter, however, and managed to end his big league career on a high note as he slashed an impressive .300/.353/.500 (129 wRC+) over 20 games in Los Angeles before participating in the NLDS with the club. Headed into 2024, Wong signed briefly with both the Orioles and the Diamondbacks on minor league deals. He hit .271/.339/.383 in 121 trips to the plate for Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate in Reno before being granted his release just under a year ago. He’s not played in affiliated ball since, and after going unsigned this offseason Wong has evidently decided to put his playing career behind him.

In all, Wong wraps his MLB career with a .256/.330/.390 career slash line, good for a roughly league average 97 wRC+. That triple slash comes across 1189 games and encapsulates a career that saw him collect 973 hits, 303 extra-base hits, 511 runs scored and 405 runs batted in. In addition to his aforementioned two Gold Glove awards and status as a Rookie of the Year finalist, Wong also received down-ballot consideration for the NL MVP award during the 2019 season. MLB Trade Rumors congratulates Wong on a fine career, and wishes him all the best in whatever comes next.

Brewers Select Easton McGee, Option Tobias Myers

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The Brewers announced three roster moves today, including the selection of Easton McGee’s contract from Triple-A Nashville.  To create space for McGee on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters, Milwaukee optioned right-hander Tobias Myers to Triple-A, and moved lefty Connor Thomas from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

McGee has appeared in two Major League games during his pro career, pitching once apiece in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.  That resume would’ve likely been a lot longer if it hadn’t been for a Tommy John surgery in May 2023 that ended up costing him the remainder of that season and most of 2024.  The Brewers signed McGee to a two-year minor league deal following the 2023 campaign that allowed him time to recover from his surgery, and his mound work last year consisted of 33 1/3 innings in Milwaukee’s farm system.

Now more fully back to good health, McGee has a 3.44 ERA across 18 1/3 innings with Triple-A Nashville in 2025.  His 25.3% strikeout rate is solid but his 11.4% walk rate is on the high side, and significantly higher than McGee’s much better control numbers over the rest of his minor league career.

McGee has worked only as a reliever this season but has a few multi-inning outings under his belt, so he can add a fresh arm and some length to Milwaukee’s pen.  The Brewers used five different pitchers in Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the Twins, with starting pitcher Myers allowing four runs on 11 hits over just 3 2/3 innings of work.

After an impressive 2024 rookie season, Myers was optioned to Triple-A last week but then quickly recalled after Jose Quintana went on the Brewers’ IL.  The turn-around maybe didn’t help matters given Saturday’s results, and Myers now has a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings in 2025.  Today’s transaction probably paves the way for Myers to receive a bit of an extended stretch at Triple-A so he can get himself back on track in preparation for another recall later in the season.

Thomas was selected away from the Cardinals in last December’s Rule 5 draft, but the southpaw pitched just 5 2/3 innings over two appearances before elbow arthritis sent him to the IL in early April.  The shift to the 60-day IL means that Thomas will now be out of action until at least the first week of June.  Thomas would have to spend at least 90 days on the Brewers’ active roster for Milwaukee to gain his full rights, or else otherwise his Rule 5 status would carry over into the 2026 season.

Jose Quintana Seeking Second Opinion On Shoulder

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Brewers southpaw Jose Quintana is seeking a second opinion on his ailing shoulder, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Quintana was placed on the injured list due to a left shoulder impingement earlier this week after telling reporters he was dealing with inflammation in both his shoulder and biceps.

Prior to his placement on the IL, he was expected to take the ball for the club’s game against the Twins today. His placement on the 15-day IL earlier this week scuttled those plans and left him with an uncertain return date, though manager Pat Murphy told reporters (including those at MLB.com) that initial testing on Quintana’s injuries were “encouraging” and that the club was hoping for a minimum stint for the veteran. With that being said, the fact that he’s seeking a second opinion might suggest that the 36-year-old is ticketed for a longer absence than initially anticipated.

Signed by the Brewers in early March, Quintana began the 2025 season in the minor leagues so he could continue building up his pitch count ahead of joining the Milwaukee rotation after he got a late start to Spring Training. He eventually made his season debut in mid-April and went on to make six starts for the Brewers before hitting the shelf. He was generally very impressive over those six starts, with a 2.65 ERA despite a lackluster 17.4% strikeout rate. His 4.57 FIP is more in line with the performance of a back-end starter than the excellent production he’s offered the Brewers so far.

Of course, even that lesser figure is a significant loss for a Brewers club that’s already muddling through the early part of the season with a paper-thin rotation. Quintana is currently joined on the shelf by Aaron Ashby, Aaron Civale, Robert Gasser, DL Hall, Nestor Cortes, and Brandon Woodruff. That group of seven rotation arms on the injured list left the Brewers forced to recall Tobias Myers to the big league roster just days after he was optioned to the minors due to shaky performance, including just one more strikeout (11) than his walk total (10) on the season so far.

The good news for fans in Milwaukee is that reinforcements can be expected in the relatively near future regardless of Quintana’s ultimate timeline. Civale, Hall, and Ashby are all expected back in the fold either by the end of the month or early into the month of June, while Woodruff was initially poised to be activated from the shelf this weekend but suffered a setback due to some ankle tendinitis that has pushed that timeline back somewhat. According to Rosiak, he’ll throw a bullpen on Sunday before beginning another rehab assignment, though it’s not entirely clear how long this latest rehab assignment is expected to take.

In the meantime, the Brewers have reinserted Myers back into the rotation alongside Freddy Peralta, Chad Patrick, Quinn Priester, and Logan Henderson. Top prospect Jacob Misiorowski is dominating at the Triple-A level and seems likely to force the issue at some point this season, but he’s not yet on the 40-man roster and the club has offered few indications that he could be in the conversation for a promotion in the short term.

Brewers Acquire Rob Zastryzny From Yankees

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Left-hander Rob Zastryzny has been traded from the Yankees to the Brewers, according to announcements from both clubs. Andrew Wagner of Freeman Sports was among those to notice earlier that Zastryzny was in the Brewer clubhouse. The Yanks, who signed the southpaw to a minor league deal, receive cash considerations in return. The Brewers have selected the lefty to their roster and optioned righty Elvis Peguero as the corresponding move. Milwaukee already had an open 40-man spot via Vinny Capra being designated for assignment recently.

As mentioned, Zastryzny signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in the winter. He has been at the Triple-A level so far this year with mediocre surface-level results but better numbers under the hood. Through 12 innings, he has a 23.5% strikeout rate, 50% ground ball rate and no walks. Though he has a 4.50 earned run average, thanks to a .378 batting average on balls in play and 60.6% strand rate.

The Brewers are already familiar with Zastryzny, as he pitched for them last year. He signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee ahead of the 2024 campaign and was called up in the summer. However, he only got to make nine appearances before some left elbow tendinitis put him on the injured list in late July. He stayed on the IL through the end of the year and was put on waivers in November, with the Cubs claiming him. He later cleared waivers in February and elected free agency, which led to his deal with the Yankees.

Zastryzny has pitched in six separate MLB seasons but has just 67 innings under his belt. In that time, he has a 4.30 ERA, 18.2% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate and 44.8% ground ball rate. His minor league numbers have generally been better. From 2021 to the present, he has thrown 143 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.57 ERA, 29.1% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate.

He finished last year hurt but appears to be healthy now. Perhaps he had some sort of opt-out or upward mobility clause in his contract, with the Brewers more willing to give him a roster spot than the Yankees.

Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

Poll: National League Playoff Outlook

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We’re now a little over a quarter of the way through the 2025 regular season. With Memorial Day fast approaching, it’s hard for struggling teams to continue arguing that it’s still early. That isn’t to say playoff positions are set in stone, of course; on this day last year, the Cubs were firmly in playoff position while the Mets club that eventually made it all the way to the NLCS was still three games under .500. If the season ended today, the Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, Padres, Phillies, and Giants would be your playoff teams in the National League this year.

With four-and-a-half months left in the baseball calendar, which team currently outside of that group has the best chance of breaking their way into the mix? Yesterday’s poll covering the American League was won by the Red Sox (25%), who narrowly bested both the Rangers (20%) and Astros (20%) in a tight contest. Here’s a look at a few of NL’s the options, listed in order of record entering play today:

St. Louis Cardinals (24-20)

The Cardinals essentially left their roster untouched outside of the departure of veterans like Paul Goldschmidt and Kyle Gibson over the offseason. Right-hander Phil Maton was the club’s only major league free agent signing. Running back last year’s 83-win team without its former MVP first baseman didn’t do much for the Cardinals’ projections, but a recent nine-game win streak has allowed St. Louis to change the narrative. Willson Contreras has started hitting again, Masyn Winn could be breaking out, and Matthew Liberatore is making the decision to move him to the rotation look wise. If the Cards can keep playing anything close to this well, thoughts of selling Ryan Helsley at the deadline are likely to vanish before the calendar flips to July.

Arizona Diamondbacks (23-21)

The fourth team in a crowded four-team NL West race, the Diamondbacks have held their own this year despite injuries plaguing superstar Ketel Marte and the loss of A.J. Puk from an already-leaky bullpen. Corbin Burnes has delivered a sub-3.00 ERA despite shaky peripherals, Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt look like solid mid-rotation pieces, and Corbin Carroll is a superstar. If Zac Gallen (4.59 ERA) and Eduardo Rodriguez (7.07 ERA) can even pitch close to their respective 3.91 FIP and 4.30 FIP marks, Arizona should be a real threat to reach the postseason.

Atlanta Braves (22-22)

That Atlanta finds itself even in this conversation after going 0-7 to start the year is an impressive feat. The tandem of Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin behind the plate has been a sensational one, and AJ Smith-Shawver is turning into a potential front-of-the-rotation surprise alongside Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach. With a .500 record despite getting just one start from Spencer Strider and zero plate appearances from Ronald Acuna Jr. so far, it’s not hard to imagine the Braves fighting their way into the playoffs by season’s end. For that to happen, players like Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies will need to start hitting while closer Raisel Iglesias (5.71 ERA) will need to turn things around or be replaced by someone who can more consistently nail down save opportunities.

Milwaukee Brewers (21-23)

Disappointing performances from Christian Yelich, William Contreras, and Jackson Chourio to this point in the year have limited the Brewers’ performance so far. (Contreras is playing through a broken middle finger, which can’t help.) Thankfully, players like Rhys Hoskins and Brice Turang have both looked excellent so far and the Brewers have proved they can win mostly on the strength of their pitching before. Freddy Peralta and rookie Chad Patrick have been excellent, Brandon Woodruff is nearing a return, and top prospect Jacob Misiorowski is throwing 103 mph with dazzling results at Triple-A. If the star hitters can perform at a higher level going forward, perhaps that would be enough to get them back into the mix.

Cincinnati Reds (21-24)

It’s been a frustrating season for the Reds so far. The rotation, led by Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott, has been strong, but those contributions have been dampened by a frustrating lineup that has failed to get consistent quality production out of anyone but Jose Trevino and Gavin Lux. Even Elly De La Cruz has been a roughly average hitter overall, while key pieces like Matt McLain and Spencer Steer have been bitterly disappointing. Fortunately, Noelvi Marte seems to be coming around after a disastrous 2024. There’s still enough time that if the club’s young lineup can go on a heater, it’s easy to imagine a strong pitching staff carrying them back into the postseason conversation.

The Rest Of The Field

The five teams mentioned above are all within five games of a Wild Card spot. The rest of the league would have a lot more work to do. The Nationals have an exciting young core featuring James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore but lack the pitching depth to capitalize on it. The Marlins have gotten a big performance from Kyle Stowers, but a disappointing pitching staff that includes an 8.10 ERA from Sandy Alcantara is keeping the playoffs out of reach. The inverse is true in Pittsburgh, where Paul Skenes leads an impressive rotation but Bryan Reynolds has a wRC+ of just 55. Meanwhile, the Rockies are the team that can be most decisively counted out of the playoff picture in a season where they’re poised to contend for the modern loss record.

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Which of the teams outside of the NL playoff picture entering play today do MLBTR readers think stands the best chance of making it into the postseason? Have your say in the poll below:

White Sox Claim Vinny Capra

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The White Sox announced that they have claimed infielder/outfielder Vinny Capra off waivers from the Brewers. He had been designated for assignment by Milwaukee last week. The Sox opened a 40-man spot recently by designating Gage Workman for assignment, so no corresponding move will be necessary there. Capra is out of options, so the Sox will need to open active roster space once he reports to the club.

Capra, 28, has been a good minor league performer in his career but hasn’t really had a chance to carve out a major league career. He has appeared in each of the four most recent major league seasons but has only been sent up to the plate 96 times over those campaigns. He has produced a dismal .105/.170/.163 line in those.

But on the farm, he received 1,287 plate appearances from 2021 to 2024. He drew walks in 11.4% of those while limiting strikeouts to an 18.6% clip. He had a combined .287/.376/.431 line and 118 wRC+ over those seasons. He also stole 25 bases while bouncing around the diamond. He has played every position except first base, though that includes just one inning as a catcher and just a third of an inning on the mound.

The Brewers apparently thought there was a chance of Capra being a useful big league player. They claimed him off waivers from the Pirates in 2023. Coming into 2025, he had exhausted his option years but earned an Opening Day roster spot by hitting .292/.358/.729 in spring training. However, he didn’t carry it over into the regular season, which nudged him off the roster and onto the waiver wire.

The Chicago roster is a bit of a motley crew right now. After losing 121 games last year, they are giving playing time to guys like Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn, with the club hoping those guys can build trade value in the coming months. Meanwhile, guys like Miguel Vargas and Chase Meidroth are attempting to establish themselves as bonafide major leaguers and form part of the next core. Capra will jump in there and can bounce around to multiple spots. If he can get some plate appearances and produce some offense like he has in the minors, he’ll be a nice pickup for the Sox.

Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

Brewers Sign Eddie Rosario To Minor League Deal

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The Brewers signed Eddie Rosario to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Nashville, relays Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The Rimas Sports client had elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Braves last week.

Rosario is already on his third organization of the season. He began the year in Triple-A with the Dodgers. He hit .339 with a pair of homers in 14 games to earn a brief call-up while Shohei Ohtani was on paternity leave. Rosario was DFA after two games because of Ohtani’s return. He elected free agency rather than accept an assignment back to Triple-A.

That led to a major league contract with Atlanta. Rosario replaced Jarred Kelenic as a lefty-hitting outfield bench bat for a couple weeks. He only started one game and went hitless with two strikeouts in four plate appearances. The Braves turned to speedy utility player Luke Williams for the final bench spot and dropped Rosario on Friday.

The veteran outfielder was a league average hitter back in 2023. He had a terrible ’24 campaign, combining for a .175/.215/.316 slash over 91 games between the Nationals and Atlanta. He’s a .221/.267/.379 hitter in more than 1100 plate appearances since his huge 2021 run that helped the Braves to a title.

Milwaukee is a bit shorthanded in the outfield. Blake Perkins has been out all year after suffering a Spring Training shin fracture. Garrett Mitchell went down with an oblique strain a few weeks ago. With Christian Yelich mostly limited to DH, Jake Bauers is working as Pat Murphy’s primary left fielder. Bauers is out to an excellent start to cement himself alongside Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick as regulars. They’re a little more limited on the bench, where Isaac Collins and Daz Cameron as working as depth outfielders.

Brewers Place Jose Quintana On IL With Shoulder Impingement

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The Brewers announced today that left-hander Jose Quintana has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 11th, due to a left shoulder impingement. Right-hander Tobias Myers has been recalled in a corresponding move.

Quintana, 36, was originally scheduled to start today’s game. However, earlier this week, his start was pushed back to the weekend. He spoke to reporters yesterday about his status, with video relayed by Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, saying that he has been dealing with inflammation in his shoulder and biceps. The plan was to throw a bullpen this morning and then start on Saturday.

It appears that will no longer be the case. It’s unclear what happened with today’s bullpen, but the Brewers have decided to put him on the shelf. It’s unclear how long they expect him to be out, but he’ll miss at least a couple of turns through the rotation.

The Milwaukee starting staff has been in flux all year along. The club opened the year knowing that guys like Robert Gasser and Brandon Woodruff would be starting the season on the IL, but then spring injuries to DL Hall and Aaron Ashby further cut into the depth. As a reaction to those injuries, the club reached out to Quintana, who was still unsigned in early March. Early in the season, they also lost Aaron Civale and Nestor Cortes to the IL, prompting the club to acquire Quinn Priester from the Red Sox.

Though they have been spinning plates, the Brewers felt the group was starting to stabilize. Myers has seen his results back up a bit this year, so he was optioned to the minors three days ago. However, the Brewers have quickly had to pivot and recall him again. Woodruff was about to return after over a year recovering from shoulder surgery but a recent ankle injury has put another speed bump in his path. That and this Quintana injury have opened the door for Myers to return. Players normally have to wait 15 days before being recalled after being optioned but an exception is allowed if a player is going on the IL.

Quintana is now the seventh Milwaukee starter on the shelf, alongside Ashby, Civale, Cortes, Gasser, Hall and Woodruff. Assuming Myers is jumping back into the rotation, he slots alongside Freddy Peralta, Priester, Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick.

That is likely a temporary alignment, with some of the pitchers on the IL nearing returns. As mentioned, Woodruff was seemingly on the cusp before this ankle tendinitis popped up. It’s unclear how long that will push him back. Civale, Ashby and Hall are all on rehab assignments and could be back in the mix shortly. If Quintana’s issue is minor, he could be back later this month as well.

Despite all that tumult in the rotation, the club’s starters have a collective 3.77 ERA, good enough for 12th in the majors. However, the team’s offense has been underwhelming this year, a big reason why they are currently 20-23. Regardless, the club’s decision makers are surely hoping to get beyond this wave of injuries in order to have a more settled pitching staff.

Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

Brandon Woodruff Pulled Off Rehab Assignment Due To Ankle Injury

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Right-hander Brandon Woodruff seemed on the cusp of returning to the Brewers but that will have to wait a bit longer. He has some right ankle tendinitis and has been returned from his rehab assignment, per Andrew Wagner of Freeman Sports and 105.7 The Fan.

Woodruff, 32, is trying to work his way back from shoulder surgery. His 2023 was cut short due to an injury to his throwing shoulder and the subsequent operation prevented him from pitching in 2024. He was still working on getting healthy as the 2025 campaign began, which landed him on the 15-day injured list.

He didn’t seem to be too far off, as he started a rehab assignment pretty early, making a minor league appearance on April 12. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last as long as 30 days, so he was coming to the end of that window, making his sixth rehab start yesterday.

However, this new injury will prevent that from happening. It’s unclear how long the Brewers expect him to rest his ankle but, per MLB rules, he has to wait at least seven days before starting a new rehab assignment.

That will delay the return of a pitcher who was once a huge part of the club’s success. From 2019 to 2022, he posted a 3.02 earned run average over 528 innings for the Brewers. He struck out 30% of batters faced, only gave out walks at a 6.3% clip and got grounders on 42.2% of balls in play.

The Brewers non-tendered him ahead of the 2024 season but re-signed him to a back-loaded deal, accounting for his expected injury absence. He made $2.5MM last year and is making $5MM this year, followed by a $10MM buyout on a $20MM mutual option for 2026. Mutual options are almost never picked up by both sides, so that was just an accounting measure to kick some of the money into the future.

For now, the Brewers will have a few other rotation issues to deal with. The club optioned right-hander Tobias Myers yesterday morning, perhaps hoping that Woodruff would take his rotation spot, though that won’t be happening now. Pitchers optioned to the minors have to stay down for a minimum of 15 days unless they are being recalled to replace someone going on the injured list. That means Myers can’t be called back unless someone else gets hurt.

Also, left-hander Jose Quintana has a minor issue of note. The lefty was scheduled to start Wednesday’s game but has a “cranky arm,” per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The club plans to push him to Friday but that may depend on how he responds between now and then. Whatever issue he’s dealing with wasn’t apparent in the data of his most recent start, as his velocity on all his pitches was actually up relative to his previous outing.

With Myers optioned and Quintana out of action for a few days, the club is down to Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester and Chad Patrick as healthy rotation options. Peralta and Priester are scheduled for today and tomorrow but the club will need a solution for Wednesday, and maybe another solution after that if Quintana needs to miss some time.

Patrick just started yesterday and won’t be available by Wednesday. Tyler Alexander has starting experience but pitched in relief for the Brewers in each of the past two days. Perhaps they could lean on him for multiple innings on Wednesday if they can stay away from him between now and then. Aaron Civale, on the IL due to a hamstring strain, threw four innings in a rehab outing on Thursday. That was his first rehab outing but he got his pitch count up to 50. Aaron Ashby and DL Hall are also on rehab assignment but Ashby’s most recent outing was just two innings while Hall’s was just three.

Elvin Rodríguez is on the 40-man but was optioned in recent days and is therefore in the same boat as Myers. Carlos Rodríguez just pitched on Saturday and wouldn’t be rested by Wednesday. Logan Henderson is on the 40-man and could be an option. Prospect Jacob Misiorowski could also be available, though he’s not yet on the 40-man roster.

All of these various injuries and others have left the Milwaukee rotation in a state of flux all year. That’s what prompted the late signing of Quintana and the early-season trade for Priester. With so many guys nearing a return from the injured list, some stabilization could be just over the horizon, but that won’t involve Woodruff for now.

Photo courtesy of William Glasheen, Imagn Images

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