The Brewers’ pitching depth has been taking hit after hit, but one injured left-hander just took a step toward giving Milwaukee some much-needed relief.
DL Hall opened his rehab assignment with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers after being sidelined by a pectoral strain since June 5. In his first outing back, Hall gave up a leadoff single, then settled in and retired the next three hitters in order. He also struck out one batter while throwing 15 pitches, and it figures to be the first of several rehab appearances.
That matters for a Brewers club that has been scrambling through a brutal stretch and now has deadline decisions coming fast. Milwaukee has already lost Brandon Woodruff for the season after he landed on the 60-day IL and later announced he will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Kyle Harrison has also been on the IL with forearm tightness, and Jacob Misiorowski was scratched from his final first-half start because of fatigue. Misiorowski is expected back in the rotation tomorrow evening against the Mets, and Harrison gave a positive update before today’s series finale with the Marlins, but the strain on the staff is still obvious.
The Brewers tried to address that during the All-Star Break, when they swung a surprise trade with the Astros and brought in former All-Star starter Lance McCullers Jr. and 27-year-old lefty Colton Gordon. Both were added to the 40-man roster, giving Milwaukee more options as it tries to steady the staff.
Hall’s return could be just as important, if not more so, because of how it could shape the rest of the deadline plan. Milwaukee is already without Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Ángel Zerpa, and Brian Fitzpatrick for the rest of the year, and Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser are currently covering in the rotation. At the moment, Aaron Ashby is the Brewers’ only left-handed reliever, and he’s being leaned on heavily.
That’s where Hall comes in. Before the injury, he had a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings. The stuff has clearly played, but the 19% walk rate is the issue that has to get cleaned up before the Brewers can trust him in the late innings.
If Hall gets back to form, Milwaukee could end up solving two problems with one move. Hall’s presence in the bullpen would give the Brewers the left-handed relief help they need, which could allow the front office to target a top-end starter at the deadline. That, in turn, could push Drohan back into a bullpen role, where he was excellent in June and could become another high-leverage option down the stretch.
With Hall potentially returning soon and Drohan already showing he can handle relief work, the Brewers may have a path to upgrade both the rotation and bullpen without having to chase separate fixes. The next two weeks should tell the story.
In Other News...
Brewers Still Have 3 Deadline Questions That Could Force A Move
The Brewers have already added pitching depth and have enough internal arms to keep the conversation going, but the trade deadline picture still isnt clean. A big part of that is the uncertainty at third base, where injuries and uneven performance have kept the club from getting a stable answer, even as Joey Ortiz has shown signs of life at the plate and given Milwaukee something to evaluate over the final stretch before the deadline.
There is also the matter of DL Hall, who is nearing a rehab assignment after the pectoral strain that sidelined him, and his return could change the shape of the bullpen in a hurry. Put those pieces together and the Brewers are left with a familiar front-office question: trust the internal options and ride the current group, or use the deadline to make sure the roster is set up for October. [Read more 🡒]
One Brewer Now Sits At The Center Of Everything Ahead
Milwaukees second-half outlook has a lot to do with how much it can keep leaning on its young rotation, and one arm has already separated himself from the pack. Jacob Misiorowski has emerged as the Brewers most important pitcher by a wide margin, giving the club a front-line presence that has helped define the season and pushed him into the national conversation.
The stakes only get higher from here, because Milwaukee knows it cannot ask for that kind of workload forever and still expect the same level of impact in September and beyond. With the deadline approaching, the Brewers have reason to look for starting pitching help that can take some pressure off the staff and keep Misiorowski in position to carry them when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Kyle Harrison Closely
Kyle Harrison took a useful step in his recovery Friday, throwing off a mound for the first time since landing on the injured list with forearm discomfort and coming away without any soreness. The Brewers left-hander has been out since July 8, and the fact that he handled the session cleanly gives Milwaukee a better sense of where he stands as he works back toward the rotation.
The next checkpoint comes July 21, when Harrison plans to throw again as he continues building up after the minimum 15-day IL stay. His recent form had already been trending the wrong way before the injury, which makes the Brewers' decision on his path back worth watching closely, especially with the question of whether he needs a rehab assignment still hanging over the process. [Read more 🡒]