Brewers swap relief pitchers ahead of Tuesday night's game against Atlanta

A minor roster move gives the Crew a fresh arm in their bullpen
Seattle Mariners v Milwaukee Brewers
Seattle Mariners v Milwaukee Brewers | Chris Coduto/GettyImages

The Milwaukee Brewers announced a minor roster move on Tuesday afternoon that will give them a fresh arm in their bullpen for the rest of their series against the Atlanta Braves. Easton McGee is back with the big-league club, and Grant Anderson has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville.

McGee, who has just 10.2 innings of major league experience, spent a brief moment on the Brewers' big league roster in mid-May. He made one scoreless appearance against the Baltimore Orioles on May 21 and didn't allow a single base runner. However, the following day, McGee was optioned back to Nashville for length-option Carlos Rodriguez.

McGee looked comfortable in his lone appearance with the Crew, and his numbers in Triple-A indicate that he's ready for more opportunities at the major league level. He holds a 3.70 ERA in 17 appearances out of the Sounds' bullpen and has struck out more than a batter an inning. Despite having experience as a starter, McGee will be called upon as a low-leverage reliever should the Brewers need one in the coming days.

Brewers recall Easton McGee, option Grant Anderson to Triple-A

In the corresponding roster move, the Brewers have optioned right-handed reliever Grant Anderson to Triple-A. Despite missing out on the Brewers Opening Day roster, Anderson was up with the team on March 31, and somewhat surprisingly remained there up until today.

His season got off to a rough start, as he allowed three earned runs in 2.2 innings to the Kansas City Royals in his opening appearance. But since then, Anderson has settled in and been a very effective reliever. His ERA was down to 2.76 before his recent three-game skid, in which he's allowed a run in each outing.

Overall, Anderson has been a solid addition to the bullpen, much better than his 2024 self, who carried an 8.10 ERA across 23 appearances for the Texas Rangers. He will certainly be back with the major league club at some point this season, but for now, he will hopefully lighten his workload a bit while pitching for the Nashville Sounds.

It may be a short stint for McGee on the Brewers roster, as the team announced that top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski will be joining the team on Thursday. Depending on how the team chooses to complement that move, McGee could be looking at a brief two-day stint with the club. If the Brewers do elect to move McGee for Misiorowski's arrival, they would sacrifice a bullpen arm and opt for a six-man rotation. Time will tell how long he will remain with the team, but for now McGee looks to prove what his numbers indicate: that he's ready for more opportunities in the big leagues.