Brewers DFA veteran reliever after rehab assignment elapses

The Milwaukee Brewers' big-league bullpen is finally at full strength. With Abner Uribe returning from a brief stint on the injured list on Monday and trade deadline acquisition JoJo Romero making his Brewers debut on Tuesday night after a midseason emergency appendectomy kept him on the IL for over a month, Milwaukee's relief corps has reached its peak at the perfect time.

That return to health, however, significantly impacted reliever Joel Kuhnel's chances of rejoining the Brewers' bullpen after his rehab assignment elapsed. Kuhnel, who landed on the IL back in early July due to rotator cuff tendinopathy in his right shoulder, was sent to Triple-A on a rehab assignment back on August 2. However, an opportunity to rejoin the Brewers' big-league pitching staff never presented itself and his rehab assignment, which can only last 30 days by rule, just recently elapsed.

As a result, the Brewers, with no place to put Kuhnel, who is out of minor league options, designated the right-handed reliever for assignment just moments ago. Technically, Kuhnel was reinstated from the 15-day IL when his rehab assignment elapsed and then DFAd, but the result is the same: Kuhnel will head to waivers, where any team is free to claim the 31-year-old veteran relief pitcher.

Brewers designate right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel for assignment as 30-day rehab assignment window comes to a close

The Brewers acquired Kuhnel for cash considerations back on June 6 after the Athletics stunningly designated him for assignment amid a strong start to the season. Kuhnel immediately joined the Brewers' bullpen and displayed a brief surge in velocity during his first appearance with the Brew Crew, leaving fans encouraged about his potential.

However, the results quickly dipped for Kuhnel, who ended up posting a 6.52 ERA in 10 appearances with the Brewers. Kuhnel did collect two saves, both of which came during a series against the Cincinnati Reds in late June while the Brewers' bullpen was short-handed, but looked to be on the way out when he went down with the shoulder injury. It therefore required a perfect storm for Kuhnel to rejoin the Brewers' roster later in the season, but with the high frequency of relief pitcher injuries, having him as a depth option in Triple-A was certainly a luxury for the Brew Crew. Kuhnel did find success with the Nashville Sounds, pitching to a 1.64 ERA in 11 appearances over the last month.

As previously mentioned, the opportunity to rejoin the Brewers' squad during the latter half of August never presented itself, but Kuhnel certainly has some intriguing potential and could be a key late-season bullpen addition for another team. If he remains with the Brewers' Triple-A squad after the waiver process, he will serve as valuable relief depth should Milwaukee experience a few bullpen injuries down the stretch.

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