What Role Might Newcomer Bryse Wilson Have With The Brewers?

The Brewers have added a plethora of new pitchers this off-season. Acquired on the same day as Wade Miley was right-handed pitcher Bryse Wilson. He was acquired via trade with the Pirates in which the Brewers gave up cash.

Throughout his career, Wilson has more experience as a starting pitcher. After the deal was announced, Wilson indicated to members of Brewers media that he was told to come to spring training expecting to compete for a spot in the starting rotation.

Unfortunately for Wilson, the Brewers currently have a pretty stocked starting rotation. It's hard to imagine him stealing a spot from Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer, or Wade Miley. He also has to compete against Adrian Houser, Aaron Ashby, and Janson Junk.

To make matters even more complicated, Wilson is out of minor league options. This essentially means that if he does not carve out/earn a role on the Brewers active roster by Opening Day, they could risk losing him.

All of this begs the question, what role will Brewers newcomer Bryse Wilson have with the team in 2023?

Given the circumstances as pointed out above, Bryse Wilson being in the starting rotation on Opening Day may be a long shot. Perhaps he could fill in at points during the season if needed, but more than likely if he wants a prominent role it will have to be as a relief pitcher.

Throughout his career, just 13 of his 56 appearances have come out of the bullpen. With the Pirates last season, he made five relief appearances and was utilized in a long relief role. In total he covered 22.1 innings as a reliever in 2022 and had a 3.56 ERA.

An interesting tid bit is that Wilson has indicated that his off-season priorities are adding fastball velocity and honing in on his splitter. The splitter is relatively new for him, but if he can pair these two pitches well together, he could suddenly have the profile of a reliever with two great pitches.

From the outside looking in, it appears that Wilson has a more clear path to playing time with the Brewers through the bullpen. However, it appears that the door as a starter has not been closed yet. It'll all depend on what happens come spring training and how he and the other candidates perform. He may be a dark horse candidate to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.