This reliever has clearly been Brewers' unsung hero through first month of 2026 season

After initially dealing with a high-leverage relief crisis, with Trevor Megill looking out of sync to begin the year and Ángel Zerpa struggling with consistency before ultimately opting for season-ending elbow surgery, the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen has once again settled into one of the better groups in baseball. As a unit, Milwaukee currently ranks ninth in MLB with a 3.60 ERA.

Grant Anderson and Aaron Ashby have played major roles in that success, emerging as the bullpen’s two most heavily used arms while posting 3.18 and 2.16 ERAs respectively. However, the reliever with the lowest ERA on the staff is surprisingly DL Hall, who has quietly become one of the team’s most overlooked contributors and an unsung hero in Milwaukee’s bullpen.

Milwaukee Brewers' reliever DL Hall is quietly off to a strong start to the 2026 season

Since arriving in Milwaukee ahead of the 2024 season as part of the Corbin Burnes trade, Hall has yet to put together a fully healthy season due to injuries. He was limited to just 43 innings in his first year with the Brewers and 38.2 innings last season, but this year he is finally healthy and beginning to put everything together, posting a bullpen-best 1.50 ERA across 18.0 innings.

One notable change this year is that Hall has begun relying on his sinker as his primary pitch, with his changeup becoming his go-to secondary offering. That combination has helped him generate an impressive 30.6% whiff rate when throwing the changeup. He has also introduced a new sweeper into his arsenal, and despite using it heavily against left-handed hitters, he has yet to allow a hit off the pitch.

Overall, the emergence of Hall has been a massive development. Not only has he provided reliable innings, but his evolving pitch mix and ability to miss bats suggest this breakout could be sustainable rather than a short hot stretch. If Hall can finally stay healthy over a full season, Milwaukee may at last see the impact they envisioned when acquiring him in the Burnes trade a few years ago.

Hall's breakout has come at an ideal time for the Brewers. With Zerpa, Jared Koenig, and Rob Zastryzny sidelined, Milwaukee needs a dependable left-handed option in high-leverage situations, and Hall appears more than just an unsung hero so far this year, but someone who is capable of filling that role this season.

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