The Brewers are about to add another arm to a bullpen that already got a boost Monday, and the timing could hardly be better.
With September here and rosters expanding from 26 players to 28, Milwaukee is lining up to activate left-hander JoJo Romero. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reported Monday that Romero has joined the Brewers on their current road trip, a strong sign that his rehab assignment is done and his debut with the club is imminent.
“JoJo Romero joined the Brewers on this trip, so it's safe to say his rehab assignment is complete. Rosters expand tomorrow from 26 to 28, with a max 27 pitchers,” McCalvy wrote.
Romero has yet to pitch in the majors for Milwaukee since being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the 2026 MLB trade deadline, but the numbers point to a pitcher who can matter right away.
He threw two rehab appearances in the minors without allowing a run, and before the trade he posted a 3.35 ERA across 44 outings for St. Louis this season.
That kind of production isn’t new for him. Romero was even sharper in 2025, putting up a 2.07 ERA in 65 appearances for the Cardinals.
And when the stretch run arrived last year, he found another gear. From Aug. 18, 2025 through the end of the season, Romero logged a 0.98 ERA and a 14-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 18 1/3 innings.
Milwaukee already made one move Monday by activating 26-year-old reliever Abner Uribe, and Romero is expected to be another important piece as the calendar flips into the season’s final month.
If the Brewers get the version of Romero they saw down the stretch last year, they’ll have a quality left-handed option to lean on when it matters most.
The bigger picture is clear: Milwaukee has spent most of the 2026 season proving the outside noise wrong, and now the team is positioned to keep pushing. The Brewers have the best record in baseball, and the next month will decide whether they can finish with a fourth straight National League Central title and the No. 1 spot in the National League.
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The latest reminder came against the Cubs, when Harrison was tagged for nine earned runs in 3 innings as Chicago took advantage of the softer velocity and some pitch tipping. For a Brewers team trying to sort out its playoff pitching picture, that kind of outing is more than a bad night - it raises fresh questions about whether Harrison can get back to the version of himself that made him look so useful in the first place. [Read more 🡒]