Joel Payamps remains in the Brewers organization after passing through waivers

Who knows what really goes on in the mysterious world of waivers? Sometimes players who seemingly aren't deserving of a spot on a major league roster are scooped up immediately, and other times players who should have a ton of interest around the league pass through and remain with their original organization. The latter occurred for the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday afternoon, when leverage reliever Joel Payamps was passed up by the rest of the league, allowing the Brewers to retain him and outright him to Triple-A Nashville.

The Brewers designated Payamps for assignment a week ago, after his slow start to the season was making it impossible for the team to keep him in their overworked bullpen. In 23 appearances this season, Payamps holds an 8.31 ERA, while surrendering three home runs and striking out less than one batter per inning pitched. It's been a jarring change from the reliable high-leverage reliever that Payamps had been in his first two seasons in Milwaukee.

After being acquired by the Brewers in the William Contreras trade in December of 2022, Payamps immediately became a late-inning shut-down reliever for Milwaukee. He pitched in 69 games in the 2023 season and posted a stellar 2.55 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched. Despite a mediocre start to the 2024 season, Payamps finished strong and ended up posting a solid follow-up year to his debut season with the Crew. He carried a 3.05 ERA through 68 appearances in 2024, but most impressively didn't allow an earned run in the entire month of September.

While it may seem like Payamps has a long way to go before returning to his 2023-24 form, his most recent outings before being DFA'd by the Brewers offer some encouragement that the lights-out set-up man that he once was is still in there somewhere.

Payamps showed glimpses of his former self before being designated for assignment

Don't get me wrong, the Brewers were right to DFA Payamps when they did; his performance simply wasn't sustainable in Milwaukee's ever-important bullpen. However, the team should be encouraged that they were able to retain him, especially given the brief glimpses of hope that he displayed during the last few weeks.

One outing stands out more than the rest, and it happened on April 26 when the Brewers were in St. Louis for a three-game series with their division foe, the Cardinals. With the Crew down two runs, and Payamps in need of some low-leverage work to regain his confidence, manager Pat Murphy called upon his seven-year veteran to cover two innings of work. Payamps glided through the Cardinals' bottom of the order in the 7th inning, striking out St. Louis' glove-first center fielder, Victor Scott II, with a vintage Payamps slider below the zone.

The following inning, Payamps took care of business against the top of the Cardinals order, including a strikeout to Lars Nootbaar on a four-seamer that was dotted on the outside corner. All in all, Payamps didn't allow a baserunner in his two innings, while displaying some of the nasty stuff that Brewers fans are used to seeing from him.

That's not to say that one strong outing from Payamps should encourage the Brewers to throw him right back into their bullpen — it's clear that he needs to figure a few things out in the minors before that happens. However, it does show that the potential for Payamps to return to his former self is still there. Maybe, just maybe, he can put together another strong second half like he did a season ago and help the Brewers out in their playoff push.