The Brewers moved on from Lance McCullers Jr. almost as quickly as they brought him in, designating the veteran right-hander for assignment Sunday morning before the series finale against the Rockies. Milwaukee also recalled right-hander Garrett Stallings from Triple-A Nashville in the corresponding move.
McCullers lasted just 11 days in the organization after arriving from the Astros, and he appeared in only two games for the Brewers. Both outings came out of the bullpen, and he finished with a 3.86 ERA, five strikeouts and five walks over 4 2/3 innings.
His last appearance came in Saturday’s 8-5 win over Colorado. McCullers entered with Milwaukee ahead 7-2 in the eighth inning and came back out for the ninth, but the inning got messy fast: he allowed a hit and walked two before closer Trevor Megill was brought in to get the final out.
For McCullers, the bullpen was a new lane. He had started 148 of his 154 career appearances with Houston, so this was a very different assignment from what he’d done for most of his big league life.
Milwaukee picked up McCullers and left-hander Colton Gordon from Houston on July 15 in a deal that sent Minor League outfielder Jadyn Fielder the other way. At the time of the trade, McCullers was on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, and the Brewers activated him two days later.
The Astros also sent Milwaukee about $4.23 million to cover most of McCullers’ remaining salary, leaving the Brewers on the hook for $2.5 million. Gordon, 27, remains in the organization and is currently with Triple-A Nashville.
McCullers had spent his entire MLB career in Houston before the trade, going 53-40 with a 3.85 ERA and helping the Astros win World Series titles in 2017 and ’22. Injuries kept him from pitching in 2019, ’23 and ’24, and this season he went 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA in eight starts for Houston.
Now the Brewers have seven days to trade McCullers or place him on outright waivers. If he clears, he can refuse an outright assignment and choose free agency.
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