Brandon Sproat’s latest outing may have slammed the door on any postseason consideration.
The Brewers gave him a chance Wednesday night in the finale against the Cubs, handing him the ball with an 8-1 lead in the eighth inning. He got through his first inning cleanly, even working out of trouble after a hit-by-pitch by turning a double play. But the ninth inning turned into a mess fast.
Sproat opened the frame by walking Pete Crow-Armstrong, then compounded things with a throwing error on a pick-off attempt to first base and a wild pitch. Two more walks loaded the bases before he struck out Alex Bregman.
Then came the moment that really set off the alarm bells: Sproat walked Ian Happ to force in a run in a seven-run game. Pat Murphy had seen enough and went to Abner Uribe, who allowed the inherited runners to score.
Milwaukee still finished off an 8-6 win, but the damage to Sproat’s standing was obvious.
After the game, Murphy did not soften the blow.
#Brewers Pat Murphy on Brandon Sproat, who had 4 walks in the 9th inning:
"It's unacceptable. You got to throw the ball over the plate or you can't be a major league pitcher... you can't let it snowball like that." pic.twitter.com/DmwmD1yvgm
- Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) September 10, 2026
The Brewers moved quickly after that, optioning Sproat back to Nashville on Thursday morning. Garrett Stallings was recalled from Class AAA Nashville to take his place in the bullpen.
Brewers have recalled RHP Garrett Stallings from Class AAA Nashville as the corresponding move for Brandon Sproat.
- Todd Rosiak (@ToddRosiak) September 10, 2026
For Sproat, the outing fit a pattern that has followed him all season. He opened the year on the Brewers’ Opening Day roster and even started the season-opening series against the White Sox, a game that went badly with seven earned runs in 3.0 innings. Overall, he appeared in 22 big-league games, 19 of them starts, and the results swung wildly from encouraging to ugly.
At his best, Sproat flashed the kind of stuff that made him such a highly regarded prospect with the Mets. At his worst, the command simply wasn’t there. He finished the season with 52 walks and 17 home runs allowed, and that inability to locate has defined too much of his first extended run in the majors.
His July struggles pushed him back to Triple-A in early August, and there were signs of life there. In five games, four of them starts, he struck out 27 batters and held opponents to a .182 average. The walks still piled up - 10 in that stretch - but he did pair with Tate Kuehner for a no-hitter on August 22.
Even with that brief reset, Wednesday’s ninth inning felt like a step backward at the worst possible time. The Brewers have already seen enough to know Sproat can be useful if the command ever catches up to the stuff. But for now, his path looks pointed away from the postseason roster and toward an offseason in the pitching lab, with 2027 shaping up as the season where he’ll need to turn all that raw potential into something more dependable.
The Brewers’ side of the trade still has time to develop, but Sproat’s latest setback leaves little doubt about where things stand right now.
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