Milwaukee Brewers: Another Round Of Roster Moves

The Milwaukee Brewers brought up two new arms prior to game three against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It makes sense, the first two games going into extra innings did not leave the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen in good shape. Not to mention a starter is needed to throw in Brandon Woodruff’s slot. That means Brett Phillips brief visit is over, and JJ Hoover might not see the light of day again.

The banged up Brewers will start Junior Guerra, and likely use Jorge Lopez out of the bullpen. Both of them recalled from Colorado Springs today. Both figure to have a very short visit time, much like Phillips.

Junior Guerra

Last years Opening Day starter fell from the mountain top pretty quickly. He opened up 2018 playing for Colorado Springs, and threw well in his one start, giving up two hits and one run in 5.2 innings. Now, he will get another chance. But he did well in Triple A last year and it did not translate to Milwaukee. A good performance from Guerra will likely result in him staying with the team, though.

Jorge Lopez

Lopez does have some experience with the Milwaukee Brewers, which will come in handy. But, he is likely on the Brett Phillips plan. After a game or two he will probably get sent down and Keon Broxton will wait out the remainder of Christian Yelich’s injury. In three relief appearances in Triple A, Lopez has secured a save and given up zero runs.

Brett Phillips

Consistently, Phillips is the hardest goodbye. Sure, we know he will probably be back, but it is tough to see him go. To be fair, his one hit in seven attempts did not do him any favors. Unfortunately for the team, if the injuries keep up at this pace, Phillips will have a starting job in no time. There also might be an open tryout period on the horizon, just to get some healthy legs in there. The injury bug seems to love the Milwaukee Brewers right now.

JJ Hoover

I don’t want to say that Hoover is bad, but he did not show much to the contrary. His ERA is understandably terrible for the 2018 season because of his 1.1 innings in game two of the Cardinals series. No matter what, the Brewers have DFA’d him and that is likely the last we will hear from JJ Hoover and his 20.25 ERA. Maybe he can look into vacuum sales after his playing career, he’s got the name for it.

How Many More Roster Moves Will There Be?

Look, if the Milwaukee Brewers are in a place to mix and match like this, why not. Early in the season it allows them to see a lot of players and figure out who will give them the best chance to win. Taylor Williams is the one living reliever for now, he earned more time at the level. If Phillips had hit four bombs during his stint, it is hard to see him being optioned down.

Next: Ideas To Improve The Defense

With all of the talent on the Milwaukee Brewers, it is a puzzle. Every piece needs to fit together, and the front office is trying to figure out how to make that happen. Roster roulette is fun. Also, it keeps some fresh pitchers in the bullpen, which is never a bad thing.