Brewers to give 29-year-old rookie right-hander another opportunity in the big leagues

Navigating a 162-game season requires contributions from far more than the 26 players who start the year on the active roster. The Milwaukee Brewers, owners of the best record in baseball with just 15 games remaining in the regular season, have relied on 57 different players over the course of the 2026 season, emphasizing just how important organizational depth is to success in Major League Baseball.

This reliance on depth often makes for a number of "feel-good" stories throughout the season. Whether it's witnessing 21-year-old rookies have a meaningful impact on the team's success or seeing temporary roster fill-ins play a key role in a victory, the fact that MLB teams are forced to tap into their depth creates opportunities for unlikely contributors to emerge as necessary pieces of memorable seasons.

Perhaps the best "feel-good" story for the Brew Crew this year is the debut season of 29-year-old right-hander Garrett Stallings. After being drafted by the Los Angeles Angels back in 2019, the start of Stallings' professional career was hampered by the cancellation of the minor league season in 2020. As a result, he didn't make his debut in the minor leagues until 2021, at which point he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles' farm system after a trade in December of 2020 that saw Stallings join his second MLB organization before throwing his first pitch in professional baseball.

After three years in the Orioles' system, Stallings was traded again, this time to the Brewers for Thyago Viera in late May of 2024. At the time, Stallings' career in the minor leagues looked to be plateauing, and with his age continuing to climb, his chances of reaching the big leagues continued to decrease.

However, after joining the Brewers' farm system, Stallings started to find some success. He posted his first sub-4.00 ERA season in the minor leagues with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds in 2025, demonstrating a relentless desire to improve his performance and reach the major leagues. On July 2 of this year, Stallings finally got his chance, and it's safe to say he's made the most of it. Though he's been up and down between MLB and Triple-A throughout the season, Stallings has yet to allow a run in 8.0 innings pitched. Now, the Brewers are rewarding him by giving him another crack at the big leagues in the final month of the season.

Brewers to call up Garrett Stallings in corresponding roster move for Brandon Sproat's demotion

On Thursday morning, the Brewers announced that Brandon Sproat, who turned in a disheartening relief appearance on Wednesday night, was being sent back down to Triple-A and initially said that the corresponding roster move would be announced on Friday morning. However, on Thursday evening, the team reported that Stallings' promotion to the big-league bullpen would be the corresponding move for Sproat's demotion.

As previously mentioned, Stallings has a perfect 0.00 ERA in his four major-league appearances, during which he's covered eight innings and struck out nine opposing hitters. He's surrendered three walks and three hits during the stretch. Down in Triple-A, Stallings has covered 81.0 innings while maintaining a 3.78 ERA with 76 strikeouts. He's worked as both a starting pitcher and a reliever for the Nashville Sounds, giving him the ability to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen should the Brewers need him to.

Stallings is expected to cover low-leverage situations for the Brewers, similar to the role Bryse Wilson was covering before he landed on the IL, and the one Sproat would have covered had he shown an improved ability to locate his pitches. An incredibly efficient pitcher, Stallings shouldn't run into the same issues Sproat did on Wednesday night should the Brewers need someone to cover several innings in a blowout. Instead, Stallings will pound the zone, rely on the Brewers' defense, and avoid giving the other team any free passes.

The Brewers' decision to give Stallings another opportunity in the big leagues continues what has been one of the underrated "feel-good" stories of the 2026 campaign. After a long, arduous journey through the minor leagues, Stallings is finally having an impact on a major league roster -- one that just so happens to have the best record in all of baseball.

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