The Brewers’ bullpen depth took another hit Monday when left-hander Drew Rom was claimed off waivers by the Athletics, removing a useful arm from Milwaukee’s organization after a brief stay on the roster bubble.
Rom had been designated for assignment to make room for infielder Ji Hwan Bae, who was brought in after rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt landed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain. Milwaukee needed to clear a 40-man spot to make that move, and Rom became the odd man out. There had been some hope he would clear waivers and stick around as Triple-A insurance, but that possibility disappeared once Oakland stepped in.
The Brewers only added Rom on a minor league deal during the offseason, but he quickly turned into one of the more useful pitchers in the system. After spending his entire pro career as a starter, Milwaukee moved him to the bullpen, and the change paid off. In 31 games for Triple-A Nashville, Rom logged a 2.20 ERA with a 36.1% strikeout rate.
He also got back to the majors in early June for the first time since his eight-start run with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023. Rom made five appearances for Milwaukee this season and finished with a 3.18 ERA, including a solid two-week stretch out of the bullpen.
There wasn’t an obvious lane for Rom to work his way back onto the big-league club later this year, especially after the Brewers added relievers Antonio Senzatela and JoJo Romero at the trade deadline. Still, losing him matters because pitchers like Rom are exactly the kind of depth piece teams lean on over the long grind of a season.
That’s been the story of Milwaukee’s August already. The Brewers are in the middle of a 17-games-in-17-days stretch and using a six-man rotation to give their young starters extra rest, but that setup has left the relief group stretched thin.
Over the weekend, the team also designated right-hander Bryse Wilson for assignment after a useful run in the majors. Wilson cleared waivers, was outrighted to Triple-A, and then rejected the assignment in favor of free agency.
So in a matter of days, Milwaukee has lost two relief arms who had been filling important roles in 2026, even if neither was locked into a long-term job. For a club trying to survive the dog days with a tired pitching staff, that’s a tough bit of roster churn to absorb.
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