The Milwaukee Brewers and their minor league affiliates have had a busy 24 hours. Brandon Woodruff ended up on the IL with a sprained ankle. As a result of his injury, the Brewers called up Ethan Small to make his Major League debut against the Chicago Cubs.
LHP Ethan Small selected from Triple-A Nashville.
INF/OF Mark Mathias optioned to Triple-A Nashville and designated as 27th man for today’s doubleheader.
SS Willy Adames sent to Triple-A Nashville on rehab assignment. pic.twitter.com/3QuRedUivm
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 30, 2022
Small’s debut was, well, a Major League debut. The Brewers’ number seven overall prospect went 2.2 innings, allowed two runs on four hits and four walks, and struck out four. The Brewers ended up winning the game 7-6.
Related: Brewers take game one at Wrigley
The Brewers Made a Series of Moves
After the game was over, the Brewers immediately optioned Ethan Small back to Triple-A. There is no doubt that Small will be back at some point. However, today was not about replacing Woodruff long-term. Hopefully, Woodruff’s 15-day IL stint will be all he needs to get healthy. Due to this hope, the Brewers made a flurry of minor league shifts after the first game of the series.
RHP Brandon Woodruff placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to 5/28, with a sprained right ankle.
RHP Peter Strzelecki selected from Triple-A Nashville. pic.twitter.com/PmBnbYHUgw
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 30, 2022
Minor league roster moves:
LHP Nick Bennett ➡️ Nashville (AAA)
OF Garrett Whitley has been activated from the IL (AAA)
RHP Jolon Zhao has been placed on the 7-day IL (A)
INF Jose Acosta has been acquired from Texas for cash considerations, assigned to Carolina (A)
— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) May 30, 2022
LHP Ethan Small optioned to Triple-A Nashville.
RHP Luke Barker selected from Triple-A Nashville.
RHP Justin Topa transferred to the 60-day injured list. pic.twitter.com/Yo22PxRrnX
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 30, 2022
The Brewers’ Two New Pitchers
That seems like a lot of roster movement, and it is. At the end of the day, the Milwaukee Brewers have two new pitchers on their roster who have not appeared in the Majors before.
Peter Strzelecki
Peter Strzelecki is a right-handed relief pitcher who has been having a solid season at Triple-A Nashville. In 14 games, he is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA and one save. Strzelecki has pitched 16.1 innings and has 26 strikeouts against just seven walks.
“Honestly, they just told me five minutes ago so I don’t even know what’s going on.0
From undrafted to a big-leaguer in less than four years, here’s latest Brewers call-up Peter Strzelecki pic.twitter.com/5YPWuYpGuR
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) May 30, 2022
Luke Barker
Like Peter Strzelecki, Luke Barker is a right-handed reliever who has been having a nice season in Nashville. In 17 games, he is 4-0 with a 3.79 ERA and one save. In 19 innings, he has 19 strikeouts and eight walks/
Luke Barker gets hit first major league call-up! 👏
Here's how he stacks up against AAA relievers across 2021-22 (min 40 IP):
6% BB rate – 94th percentile
25% K-BB rate – 92nd percentile
37% Chase rate – 99th percentile pic.twitter.com/59nRepyt7O— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) May 30, 2022
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