Could the Brewers reunite with recently DFAd Pirate and former Opening Day starter?

The Brewers were hit with even more unfortunate news in the pitching department on Monday. First we found out that Joe Ross has had a setback in his recovery from a back injury. He now has no timetable for a potential return. Then Pat Murphy was pessimistic about the return of Robert Gasser in a press conference, saying he is being viewed as "out for the year". Gasser is still waiting on a third opinion about the flexor tightness in his throwing arm after receiving mixed opinions the first two times.

With all the damage done to the starting pitching staff, the Brewers are left with very few options on the 40-man roster. They have been forced into calling up a top pitching prospect in Carlos Rodriguez to fill out their rotation.

Would Wily Peralta be a good fit for the Brewers?

Luckily for the Brewers, some options are becoming available outside of their system. On Monday, an ex-Brewer was designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wily Peralta came up with the Brewers back in 2012 and gave them plenty of quality innings. Peralta showed a ton of promise, including starting on Opening Day in 2016, and many thought he was well on his way to a successful career. He played in Milwaukee through the 2017 season, after which he signed with the Royals.

Outside of Milwaukee it's been tough sledding for Peralta at the major league level. After signing with the Royals, he worked out of the bullpen for two years and even closed 14 games there, but never really got settled in. Then Peralta had a stop in Detroit, where he bounced up and down from Triple-A and never found a groove.

Over the past two seasons, the now thirty-five year old hasn't appeared in the big leagues. He pitched in the Washington Nationals system in 2023, and then for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the start of this season. His numbers in Triple-A haven't been great, but that's not to say he can't be fixed in the Milwaukee Brewers pitching lab, which has helped him before.

This season specifically, Peralta made 17 appearances for the Pirate's Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, going more than one inning in 14 of those games. The length of his outings is what could make him an attractive target for the Brewers. The right-hander had a solid stretch to start this season of 22.0 IP with just a 2.86 ERA in that time, flashing potential even at this age. After a couple of rough outings at the end of his stint in Indianapolis, he was designated for assignment with a 7.44 ERA.

Whether the thirty-five year old still has anything left in the tank is anybody's guess, but he could be worth a shot in the dark for a depleted Brewers pitching staff. Even if he's only signed to a minor league contract, the Brewers are desperate for pitching. Even if it isn't Wily Peralta, it is definitely likely that someone outside of the organization will need to be acquired.