The Brewers signed reliever Connor Sadzeck to a minor league contract last week (h/t to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America). The 29-year-old has been assigned to Triple-A Nashville, where he made his first appearance last Friday.
Sadzeck was once one of the more promising pitching prospects in the Rangers organization, where he made his big league debut in 2018. Texas traded the right-hander to the Mariners the following year, where he pitched fairly well but wound up ending that season on the injured list with elbow trouble. Between the two clubs, Sadzeck posted a 2.18 ERA over 33 innings but walked a highly alarming 17.1% of batters faced.
Signed to a minors deal by the White Sox over the winter, Sadzeck spent most of this year with their top affiliate in Charlotte. Over 27 2/3 frames, he pitched to a 5.86 ERA while continuing to struggle with his control, doling out free passes at a 15.5% clip. Chicago released him shortly after the trade deadline. During his big league action, Sadzeck worked in the mid-high 90’s, so the Brewers took a no-risk flier on a live arm to serve as high minors bullpen depth.