Brewers face tough call after latest roster move

The Milwaukee Brewers made another change to their bullpen ahead of Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins. The team announced they have selected right-hander Lyon Richardson’s contract from Triple-A. In a corresponding move, Bryse Wilson was designated for assignment. Milwaukee also confirmed that outfielder Sal Frelick has been sent on a rehab assignment.

With the latest move, that officially marks the 32nd pitcher to appear on the active roster this year, according to Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920. Last year the club used just 32 pitchers the entire season, meaning they will almost certainly surpass that number with multiple weeks still remaining.

This latest move leaves the Brewers with a tough call to make moving forward. How sustainable is it to keep cycling through bullpen arms while carrying a six-man rotation rather than simply running a five-man staff and keeping that extra spot open for a reliever?

The constant roster shuffling works in the regular season when rosters are more flexible and options are plentiful. But it creates a real concern heading into October, when rosters lock down and every arm on the postseason roster has to be trusted in meaningful situations. Relying on arms that have not been part of the regular rotation of trusted options could become a liability when the stakes are highest.

The easiest option for the Brewers moving forward would be to send right-hander Brandon Sproat back to the minor leagues.

Acquired this past winter as one of the main pieces in the Freddy Peralta trade with the New York Mets, Sproat still has a bright future in MLB but needs to work on his run prevention. Across 21 appearances, the 25-year-old has collected 100 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings, but he carries a 5.27 ERA and has taken seven losses, making him one of the weaker links on what is otherwise an extremely deep staff.

Optioning Sproat would give the Brewers a more stable bullpen configuration heading into the final stretch, and getting him additional development time in Triple-A could ultimately benefit both the player and the organization long-term.

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