Brewers' southpaw is quickly becoming a key piece of Milwaukee's 2026 bullpen

Three of the best starting pitchers of the Milwaukee Brewers' ongoing "Golden Age" began their careers in the bullpen. Brandon Woodruff wasn't a full-time starter until his third season in MLB (2019), Corbin Burnes was still making relief appearances in his third season in the majors (2020), and Freddy Peralta, despite spending most of his debut season as a starting pitcher, bounced between the rotation and the bullpen during his second and third years in the big leagues. All three went on to become All-Stars and Cy Young candidates in Milwaukee, but their time spent as relievers was key for their development into aces.

When the Brewers acquired Shane Drohan from the Boston Red Sox this past winter, most expected the left-hander, who was already knocking on the door of the big leagues to immediately join Milwaukee's deep list of rotation options. Drohan spent a majority of his time in college and the minor leagues working as a starter and possessed the deep arsenal of pitches necessary to navigate a lineup multiple times through.

As a result, back on April 8, when the Brewers needed a starting pitcher to fill in for one start at, ironically, Fenway Park, where Drohan would have pitched this year had he not been traded by the Red Sox, the talented 27-year-old southpaw was called upon. His debut didn't go according to plan; a cold day in Boston was no help, but Drohan struggled with his command and allowed three earned runs in just 2.2 innings, in large part due to the four walks that he issued.

The Brewers, needing only a spot start at the time, promptly sent Drohan back down to Triple-A to continue making starts for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. However, the Brewers quickly realized that Drohan was much too talented to not be on a big-league pitching staff, and before the end of April, when an opportunity presented itself, Milwaukee added their offseason trade acquisition to their bullpen, where he was expected to work in a long-relief role.

Roughly one month after his re-addition to the Brewers' roster, Drohan has emerged as a key part of Milwaukee's bullpen. Last night, at Wrigley Field, he reached new heights with a dominant performance against the division rival Chicago Cubs.

Shane Drohan's recent dominance gives the Brewers even more versatility in their bullpen

Since re-joining the Brewers' pitching staff in late April, Drohan has made seven appearances, all out of the bullpen. He's covered as many as 13 outs, which he accomplished in last night's game against the Cubs, and as few as two, in a game against the San Diego Padres last week. Like fellow southpaws DL Hall and Aaron Ashby, Drohan possesses the versatility to cover whatever role the Brewers need on a given night, and he's done so, to this point, with great success.

Since making the switch to the bullpen, Drohan has posted a 1.47 ERA and boasts a solid 25% strikeout rate and an excellent 2.8% walk rate. He's limiting hard contact and inducing groundballs at a 50% clip, an encouraging combination for any pitcher at the beginning of his MLB career.

Last night, Drohan took over for Sproat with two outs in the fifth inning and proceeded to cover the final 13 outs of the Brewers' series opener against the Cubs. Allowing just four hits and zero walks, Drohan didn't surrender a single run while striking out five opponents. His efforts gave the rest of the bullpen the day off, giving Milwaukee a rested 'pen for games two and three of their series in Wrigleyville, with Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, their two best starters, on the bump.

Much like Chad Patrick saving the bullpen on Saturday night, when he covered the final four innings of the Brewers' 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins, Drohan's ability to take over the final half of a game is a huge advantage for Pat Murphy and his pitching staff. Drohan, however, has been just as effective in his shorter outings, telling a story of a pitcher who is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win.

Whether he does follow the path of Woodruff, Burnes, and Peralta, and eventually ends up in the Brewers' rotation, or he takes the Aaron Ashby path and remains a versatile bullpen weapon, it's clear Milwaukee made another strong addition to their pitching staff when they traded for Shane Drohan this past February.

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