Why the Brewers DFA'd Bryse Wilson only to re-sign him three days later

The combination of a grueling scheduling stretch and a young group of starting pitchers has forced the Milwaukee Brewers to turn to a six-man rotation during the first two weeks of August. While the decision should give more rest to their inexperienced starting staff, adding another arm to the rotation inevitably has an adverse effect on a team's bullpen.

With one less reliever, the Brewers have had to get creative to ensure they keep fresh arms in their bullpen during this stretch. Such a reality, paired with the fact that Milwaukee added three arms at the trade deadline this year, has forced the Brewers to make a series of difficult decisions since the start of the month. Relievers Grant Anderson and Garrett Stallings were both demoted to Triple-A during the Brewers' first homestand of August, despite the former being a part of Milwaukee's 'pen for the entirety of the 2026 season and the latter having yet to allow a run in four big-league appearances.

However, while Anderson and Stallings remained in the organization even after they were optioned to Triple-A, the Brewers' decision to designate right-hander Bryse Wilson for assignment in favor of a fresh arm in Lyon Richardson could have been far more consequential, as there was no guarantee that he would remain in the organization. That said, the Brewers, needing innings in their bullpen group, didn't have much of a choice when it came to designating Wilson for assignment.

Brewers' waiver wire gamble with Bryse Wilson pays off as well as it could have

Wilson, now in his ninth season in MLB, is out of minor league options, meaning if the Brewers wanted to remove him from their active roster, they would be forced to designate him for assignment and therefore expose him to waivers, allowing another team to acquire the veteran right-hander without having to offer anything in return.

However, after Wilson tossed 34 pitches on Friday night and much of the rest of the Brewers' bullpen had also worked several times in the previous few days, Milwaukee really had no other choice but to cut ties with Wilson in order to add a fresh arm to their bullpen. Committing to a six-man rotation, the Brewers didn't have the luxury of optioning a starter to Triple-A, because a pitcher optioned to the minor leagues can't be recalled for 15 days unless an injury occurs. Therefore, optioning someone like Robert Gasser wouldn't have allowed the Brewers to stick to their six-man rotation. Wilson, who was going to be down for at least one, but more likely two games after his lengthy outing on Friday night, was seemingly the Brewers' only option if they wanted a fresh arm in their 'pen, which they desperately needed.

As a result, the Brewers gambled on the waiver wire, knowing that Wilson, who had a 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings with the Crew over the last month, could easily be scooped up by another team. Perhaps it was his inconsistent track record away from the Brewers or the remaining money on his major league deal that scared teams away, but Wilson eventually cleared waivers. The Brewers attempted to outright Wilson to Triple-A, but the veteran reliever unsurprisingly declined the assignment. Instead, Wilson renegotiated and returned to the Brewers on a new major league contract, which earned him a spot back on the big-league roster three days after he was DFA'd. Ironically, Richardson was DFA'd to make room on the active roster for Wilson.

To recap, the Brewers needed a fresh arm in their bullpen over the weekend, and Wilson was essentially the only arm they could replace. Since Wilson was out of options, Milwaukee was forced to DFA him, hoping another team wouldn't claim him off waivers. When he cleared waivers, his success with the Brewers made a reunion likely, and now that he had a few days off since his last outing, Milwaukee could afford to add him back to their 'pen.

In some ways, it's as if the Brewers "optioned" a player without minor league options remaining, made possible by the fact that no one claimed said player on waivers. They avoided the roster restrictions of actually optioning a player to the minors (minimum stay of 15 days before rejoining the MLB roster), which allowed them to immediately add Wilson to their pitching staff.

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