Brewers bring back old friend for relief pitching depth

With an extra 40-man roster spot and a need for another southpaw in their bullpen, the Milwaukee Brewers have reunited with Rob Zastryzny. The club acquired Zastryzny from the New York Yankees in exchange for cash considerations ahead of their series opener with the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. He was immediately added to the Brewers’ 40-man and active rosters and could appear in tonight's game should the Brewers need him.

Yesterday morning, Reviewing the Brew's Sam Phalen speculated that the team might add a left-handed reliever to the bullpen while they had an extra spot on their 40-man roster. The Brewers have elected to do just that by bringing back an old friend in Zastryzny.

The 33-year-old southpaw made nine appearances for the Brewers a season ago, with three coming as an opener. He pitched to a 1.17 ERA before left elbow tendinitis cut his season short. Zastryzny was initially claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs in the offseason, but when they designated him for assignment in February, he wound up in the Yankees organization.

He made 13 appearances for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, this year and posted a 4.50 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched. While he's appeared in parts of six major league seasons, Zastryzny has just 67 career big league innings. Hopefully, he can tap into the success that he had with the Brewers a season ago and provide another steady left-handed option in the bullpen for manager Pat Murphy to turn to.

Elvis Peguero optioned to Triple-A to make room for Rob Zastryzny on active roster

Elvis Peguero returns to the minor leagues in the corresponding roster move. He made just one appearance during his second stint with the big league club this season and pitched a scoreless inning against the Cleveland Guardians with two strikeouts. He looked sharp in his outing, and his season ERA is down to 4.91, despite only allowing runs in one of his six appearances. However, the Brewers opt for a new arm and one that will balance out the breakdown of lefties and righties in their bullpen.

It's possible that Zastryzny's time with the Brewers will be brief. His addition means the Brewers now have a full 40-man roster and with players on the 60-day IL, including DL Hall and Blake Perkins, nearing their returns, the Brewers will be forced to part with someone currently on the 40-man roster in the near future.

If Zastryzny proves himself to be an effective addition to the bullpen and can replicate his success from a season ago, he may last longer on the team's roster, but for now, this appears to be a short-term addition that may not survive the anticipated returns of several key Brewers.