Brewers Rumors

Brewers Select Colin Rea, Designate Payton Henry

By Darragh McDonald | April 13, 2023 at 4:50pm CDT

The Brewers announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Colin Rea. Fellow righty Janson Junk was optioned to Triple-A Nashville to open a spot on the active roster. To get Rea onto the 40-man, catcher Payton Henry was designated for assignment.

Rea, 32, has 36 games of scattered big league action with the Padres, Marlins, Cubs and Brewers. Most of that came back in 2015 and 2016, as he’s only tossed 20 innings in the bigs since then. He has a career ERA of 4.90 in 154 1/3 innings overall.

He spent last year pitching for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan, posting a 3.96 ERA over exactly 100 innings. He returned to North America this winter by signing a minor league deal with the Brewers. He’s already made a couple of starts in Triple-A, throwing seven innings without allowing an earned run.

The Brewers needed to address their rotation when Brandon Woodruff was placed on the injured list earlier this week with shoulder inflammation. They also intended to give their regular starters a breather by pushing them back a day, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, meaning they needed a couple of fresh arms. Junk was recalled to make a spot start yesterday but has now been quickly optioned to make room for Rea.

Henry, 26 in June, has spent most of his career in the Brewers’ organization, having been drafted by them in 2016. He was dealt to the Marlins in July of 2021 but then was traded back to Milwaukee in November of last year. He has 20 games of major league experience, all of it with the Marlins in between those two trades. He hit .186/.314/.209 in 51 plate appearances, which is a tiny sample but it tracks with his reputation as a glove-first catching prospect. He’s hit .200/.294/.267 in five Triple-A games so far this year.

The Brewers will now have one week to trade Henry or pass him through waivers. Catching depth tends to be in demand throughout the season given the high number of injuries at the position. Since Henry has options remaining, he doesn’t even need to be given an active roster spot. The Brewers now have just two catchers on their 40-man roster in William Contreras and Victor Caratini. They have some non-roster depth with players like Alex Jackson and Brian Navarreto, though Henry would join them if he clears waivers. He doesn’t have a previous career outright or three-plus years of service time, meaning he won’t have the right to reject an outright assignment.

Brewers Place Brandon Woodruff On Injured List

By Anthony Franco | April 11, 2023 at 6:50pm CDT

The Brewers announced they’ve placed star hurler Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 8, due to shoulder inflammation. Janson Junk has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take the vacated active roster spot.

Woodruff is coming off a strong start against the Cardinals on Saturday. He threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in an eventual shutout win, tallying 84 pitches. He didn’t respond as hoped between appearances, though, and the Brewers will put him on the shelf. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that the club is hopeful it’ll be a minimal stint, which would cost him two starts.

The right-hander lost a month last season to a high ankle sprain. He’s never previously spent time on the IL with an arm-related injury as a major leaguer. He’s topped 100 innings in each of the past three full schedules and make a full slate of 13 starts during the shortened 2020 campaign. Woodruff tallied 153 1/3 frames last year in spite of the ankle sprain, taking the ball 27 times.

Woodruff had been tabbed to start tomorrow’s game in Arizona. It now seems that’ll fall to Junk, who’d be making his team debut. Acquired from the Angels in the Hunter Renfroe trade over the winter, Junk opened the year on an optional assignment to Nashville. He’s thrown ten innings of one-run ball there, striking out seven while walking three. The righty started six of seven MLB appearances with the Halos between 2021-22, posting a 4.74 ERA over 24 2/3 frames.

Brewers Acquire Bennett Sousa

By Mark Polishuk | April 9, 2023 at 10:37am CDT

The Brewers have acquired left-hander Bennett Sousa from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations and international bonus pool space. Both teams have announced the trade. Milwaukee placed Aaron Ashby (who could miss the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery) on the 60-day injured list in order to create 40-man roster space.

The trade adds to a busy week for Sousa, who was designated for assignment by Cincinnati on Wednesday and then celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday. It also marks the second time in less than two months that Sousa will be changing teams, as the Reds just claimed him off DFA waivers from the White Sox back in February.

Sousa made his MLB debut last season, posting an 8.41 ERA over 20 1/3 relief innings for Chicago. With only a 12.5% strikeout rate and an inflated 10.4% walk rate to go along with the rough ERA, there wasn’t a lot to like about Sousa’s first stint in the majors, apart from perhaps a 49.3% grounder rate. Sousa’s ability to keep the ball on the ground has fluctuated over his five minor league seasons, but his overall grounder is over the 50 percent threshold.

He also showed a lot more aptitude for strikeouts in the minors, including a 32.24% strikeout rate over 50 1/3 Triple-A innings. Control has been a bit more of an issue for Sousa since returning from the canceled 2020 minor league season, yet there’s enough in his skillset that it isn’t surprising why a team with a 40-man roster spot to spare might have interest. The Brewers have had a lot of success with unheralded relief pitchers in recent years, so they might see some untapped potential in Sousa.

Injury Notes: Haniger, Taylor, Severino, Rodon, Moore, Trammell

By Anthony Franco | April 7, 2023 at 8:47pm CDT

The Giants have been without offseason signee Mitch Haniger thus far. The veteran outfielder opened the season on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. He tells Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News his recovery timeline was slightly delayed by recent back tightness, which shut him down for around a week (Twitter link). Haniger is back to hitting off a tee now but still a bit off from potentially beginning a minor league rehab assignment.

With Haniger out of action, the Giants have pushed Rule 5 draftee Blake Sabol into left field alongside Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto. Sabol and Roberto Pérez are the only catchers on the active roster. Pérez left this afternoon’s loss to Kansas City with a right shoulder strain (as relayed by Maria Guardado of MLB.com), which could necessitate a roster move if he’s unavailable in the coming days.

In other injury situations around the game:

The Brewers lost Tyrone Taylor to a sprained right elbow at the start of Spring Training. Milwaukee announced at the time that Taylor would be sidelined into May. Manager Craig Counsell informed reporters today the outfielder recently had a minor setback and is midway through a week-long shutdown before he resumes a throwing program (via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). It’s unclear to what extent Taylor’s recovery timetable is delayed but it doesn’t seem a significant concern. Milwaukee turned to Brian Anderson in right field with Taylor sidelined. After the Brew Crew lost third baseman Luis Urías to an Opening Day hamstring strain, they moved Anderson to the hot corner and brought up top prospect Joey Wiemer to man right field.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone provided reporters (including Chris Kirschner of the Athletic) an update on a pair of rehabbing pitchers this afternoon. Luis Severino, who has been sidelined by a lat strain, will throw a bullpen session this weekend. Offseason free agent pickup Carlos Rodón will throw a live batting practice session on Monday. Rodón was diagnosed with a mild forearm strain during Spring Training, though the Yankees downplayed any long-term concern.
The Mariners provided updates on a pair of injured position players this afternoon (relayed by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Utilityman Dylan Moore and outfielder Taylor Trammell are both going to start participating in extended spring training games at the start of next week. Manager Scott Servais indicated that Moore could potentially return during the club’s April 14-23 homestand. Trammell is further behind, as he fractured the hamate bone in his right wrist in mid-February. That robbed him of any Spring Training reps; Moore also didn’t appear in any exhibition games but he’d done some backfield work before straining his oblique in mid-March.

Aaron Ashby To Undergo Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery

By Anthony Franco | April 5, 2023 at 4:11pm CDT

Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder this week, manager Craig Counsell told reporters after this afternoon’s win over the Mets (relayed by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Ashby will be out for “significant time,” in the words of the skipper, and might not return at all in 2023.

It’s a brutal development for one of the sport’s more promising young starters. Ashby, a fairly recent top prospect, threw 139 innings between 2021-22. The former fourth-rounder has only managed a 4.47 ERA but posted more intriguing underlying numbers. He’s punched out an above-average 27.1% of batters faced while keeping the ball on the ground on a huge 57.8% of batted balls. That rare combination of strikeouts and grounders led Milwaukee’s front office to invest in Ashby last summer.

The Brewers guaranteed him $20.5MM through 2027 on a deal that contained club options through ’29. While it’s still possible for that relatively modest deal to pan out, Ashby hasn’t been able to contribute because of shoulder issues. He made just three starts after the extension before landing on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. That ended his 2022 campaign early. The problems unfortunately cropped back up this spring, as he was diagnosed with a small labral tear in mid-February.

Ashby and the club initially downplayed the long-term severity of the injury. He was expected to miss the first six weeks of the season but his timeline now gets pushed back by another setback. The team hasn’t indicated whether Ashby suffered a more severe injury or if the initial issue simply hasn’t progressed as expected.

The Brewers will be able to transfer Ashby from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list whenever they have a need for a 40-man roster spot. Milwaukee still has a strong front five of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer and Wade Miley. Depth options Ashby, Jason Alexander and Adrian Houser are all on the IL, though, leaving Milwaukee fairly thin behind their top group.

It’s an obviously suboptimal development early in the season and at least raises some question about Ashby’s ability to cement himself in the rotation over the longer term. Miley is only guaranteed to be around this year, while Burnes and Woodruff are on track for free agency after the 2024 season. There’s surely still hope Ashby can join Peralta as longer-term impact starters but he’s now in danger of missing his entire age-25 campaign.

Central Notes: Brewers, Lorenzen, Votto

By Nick Deeds | April 4, 2023 at 4:59pm CDT

Mark Attanasio, principal owner of the Brewers, spoke to reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) yesterday regarding a variety of topics. One of those topics was the club’s payroll which according to RosterResource took a haircut headed into the 2023 season dropping to $121MM entering the season compared to last year’s final $137MM figure.

Attanasio claims that the dip in payroll is in the interest of keeping the team competitive in the long term, telling reporters, “Nobody wants to hear this, but we haven’t really had a budget in a long time… if you do a case study on teams that lose too much money for too long, then they end up gutting the team. We’re trying to always compete.” Attanasio cited the Brewers standing at the bottom of the league in terms of media revenues as one reason the club’s payroll dipped this season, though he also noted the club has payroll space available for midseason additions should Milwaukee be in contention.

NL Central Notes: Reynolds, Williams, Senzel, Santillan

By Mark Polishuk | April 2, 2023 at 4:20pm CDT

Even with three games already in the books on the Pirates’ 2023 season, Bryan Reynolds’ contract status is still the biggest story in Pittsburgh baseball, given the reports from earlier this week suggesting the two sides had made a lot of progress towards an extension. The deal in question appears to be an eight-year, $106MM pact, yet the sticking point appears to be the Pirates’ reluctance to include an opt-out clause for Reynolds following the 2026 season.

It isn’t clear if anything has changed in talks, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter links) hears from both sides that, essentially, they “haven’t heard anything” about any further progress. Mackey notes that GM Ben Cherington didn’t mention anything about Reynolds or the contract talks during his weekly radio show today, though naturally it would’ve been a little surprising to hear an executive make any significant public comment on contract negotiations that (apparently) are still ongoing. Opening Day was reportedly viewed as a deadline to get an extension finalized, and while that deadline was completely unofficial, it begs the question or whether or not Reynolds and the Bucs can solve the impasse soon or if the matter might be tabled until the offseason…..or, if Reynolds might be traded elsewhere before the deadline.

More NL Central items….

Devin Williams was hit in the arm by a Dansby Swanson line drive during the ninth inning of yesterday’s game, though Williams remained on the mound to close out the Brewers’ 3-1 win over the Cubs. Williams told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that the liner “glanced off” his right elbow and “it didn’t feel too good,” leading to a bit of lingering soreness today. While the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Williams and manager Craig Counsell said that the reliever’s availability for today’s game wouldn’t be known until Williams did some pregame warmups. [UPDATE: Williams didn’t pitch in Milwaukee’s 9-5 win over Chicago, but Counsell said the reliever was available if called upon.]
Nick Senzel and Tony Santillan are slated to begin rehab assignments at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Both were hampered by injuries that pushed back their Spring Training work, as Senzel underwent toe surgery during the offseason and Santillan was still recovering from a lower back issue that plagued him during the 2022 campaign. Barring any setbacks, however, Senzel and Santillan appear to be on pace to join the Reds by around the middle of April, with Senzel perhaps moving into a utility role and Santillan stepping back into Cincinnati’s bullpen.

Luis Urias Out 6-8 Weeks With Hamstring Injury

By Simon Hampton | April 1, 2023 at 9:47am CDT

11:14am: Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that Urias will miss 6-8 weeks of action.

9:47am: The Brewers announced a couple of roster moves this morning, placing infielder Luis Urias on the 10-day injured list retroactive to March 31 after he sustained a left hamstring injury on Opening Day. The team also announced that left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

It opens the door for the Brewers to officially add prospect Joey Wiemer to their big league roster, as he’ll take the place of Urias, while Wilson’s move to the 60-day IL opens up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Urias hurt his hamstring in the ninth inning of Milwaukee’s 4-0 Opening Day loss to the Cubs, having gone 0-4 in the match. There’s no indication yet of how long Urias will be out for, but this opens the door for Brian Anderson to handle the hot corner in the meantime, with Wiemer taking over in right for the time being.

A fourth round pick in 2020, Wiemer has shot up the Brewers’ prospect charts in recent years, and his .287/.368/.520 line over 174 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors last season showed he was knocking on the door of his first big league call up. While scouts raised concerns over his strikeouts and swing mechanics dating back to the draft, Wiemer’s raw power and athleticism have shone through and he was placed near the back of Keith Law’s recent top-100 prospects in all of baseball.

The move to shift Wilson to the 60-day IL was likely an easy one for the Brewers. The veteran lefty underwent Tommy John surgery in June of last year, so he is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2023 campaign. The Brewers signed him this winter to a one-year deal, but hold a club option on him for 2024.

Brewers To Promote Joey Wiemer

By Anthony Franco | March 31, 2023 at 8:34pm CDT

The Brewers are bringing up one of their top prospects. Outfielder Joey Wiemer is getting his first major league call, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The Brewers figure to finalize the move before tomorrow afternoon’s matchup with the Cubs.

Wiemer was Milwaukee’s fourth-round pick in 2020 out of the University of Cincinnati. Amateur scouts praised his power and athleticism but raised significant questions about his strikeouts and atypical swing mechanics. Wiemer’s .264/.379/.408 slash in college was hardly overwhelming, particularly outside a Power Five conference.

Milwaukee rolled the dice on his physical upside in hopes he could iron things out in pro ball. They have to be thrilled with how that decision has played out over the past couple seasons. Wiemer hit .296/.403/.556 during his first professional season, positioning him as one of the better prospects in the Milwaukee farm system. He took that to another level with continued production against upper level pitching last year.

Wiemer spent the bulk of the 2022 season with Double-A Biloxi, where he put up a roughly average .243/.321/.440 line over 374 plate appearances. Wiemer punched out 30% of the time but connected on 15 home runs and stole 25 bases while getting caught just once. The Brewers bumped him to Triple-A Nashville in August, and he caught fire at the top minor league level. In 174 trips to the plate, he mashed at a .287/.368/.520 clip with six longballs. Wiemer cut his strikeouts to a solid 19.5% rate in Triple-A while walking 12.1% of the time.

That firmly placed him among the sport’s most interesting outfield prospects headed into the winter. Both FanGraphs and Keith Law of the Athletic slotted him near the back of their offseason Top 100 prospect lists. Wiemer didn’t crack the Top 100 at Baseball America or ESPN but finished just outside that cutoff, ranking among the top three talents in the Milwaukee system at both outlets. Evaluators credit him with plus or better raw power, speed and arm strength. He’s regarded as a high-variance type but a potential impact player on the strength of those deafening physical tools.

The Brew Crew gave the 24-year-old an extended look this spring. He held his own, putting together a .262/.319/.429 line with two homers, four walks and ten strikeouts in 42 at-bats. General manager Matt Arnold indicated towards the end of Spring Training that both Wiemer and fellow top prospect Sal Frelick were being considered for season-opening roster spots. Neither ended up grabbing a job out of camp, as both were ticketed for Nashville to start the season.

Plans changed yesterday, as starting third baseman Luis Urías hurt his left hamstring in the ninth inning of an Opening Day loss. Urías was noticeably hobbled after the game, and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that Urías is headed to the 10-day injured list. Brian Anderson, who’d opened the season as the right fielder, has a long track record as an MLB third baseman. He’ll now slide to the hot corner, with Wiemer stepping into the right field job.

That’ll presumably be the plan at least until a veteran is ready to return from injury. It’s unknown how long Urías will be out. Tyrone Taylor, who might’ve gotten the Opening Day right field nod, is expected to be sidelined into May with an elbow sprain. Wiemer should have at least a couple weeks to try to establish himself against big league pitching.

While one day of the schedule has already elapsed, players are credited with a full year of major league service if they’re in the majors for 172+ days of the 186-day season. Wiemer would still get to that mark if he’s up for good, which would put him on track to first reach arbitration after the 2025 season and qualify for free agency over the 2028-29 offseason.

Wiemer hadn’t been on the 40-man roster. Milwaukee will need to select his contract tomorrow. That’ll require a corresponding 40-man move, though players like Aaron Ashby (shoulder strain) and Justin Wilson (recovering from Tommy John surgery) are 60-day injured list candidates.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Adrian Houser To Begin Season On Injured List

By Darragh McDonald | March 29, 2023 at 1:30pm CDT

Brewers right-hander Adrian Houser recently departed a spring outing with some groin tightness and manager Craig Counsell provided an update on that situation to reporters today, including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Houser will begin the season on the injured list with an estimated return timeline of three weeks.

Houser, 30, has made 76 starts for the Brewers over the past four years, in addition to some relief appearances. Overall, he’s tossed 428 innings in his career with a 3.97 ERA. His 18.8% strikeout rate is a few ticks below league average but he’s kept the ball on the ground at a strong 53.8% clip.

Being without Houser for a few weeks isn’t a devastating blow to the Brewers, as he was likely going to be their #6 starter behind Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer and Wade Miley. However, it’s still a notable development as their rotation depth has taken some other hits recently.

Aaron Ashby has a shoulder injury that is going to keep him out until roughly the middle of May. Jason Alexander has a shoulder strain and has already been been placed on the 60-day injured list, meaning he can’t return until late May at the earliest. The Brewers once looked to have so much starting pitching that a trade of Houser seemed plausible, but they will now have three fewer arms in the mix for the next few weeks at least.

As mentioned, the top five options are still healthy, though another injury will leave the club with diminished depth to choose from. Some options still on the roster include Ethan Small and Janson Junk. Bryse Wilson has plenty of starting experience but is out of options and seems ticketed for a bullpen job in the big leagues to start the year.

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