MILWAUKEE – Pat Murphy has had a lot of difficult conversations this season, but the most difficult conversation took place early Tuesday afternoon. While his team got ready to take on the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field, the Milwaukee Brewers’ manager was in his office, explaining to left-hander Bryan Hudson why, despite being one of the team’s most valuable relievers all season, he was being optioned to Triple-A Nashville.
“Toughest one this year,” Murphy said.
On the surface, the move is certainly a bit of a head-scratcher. Hudson has been terrific for Milwaukee this season and a major reason why the Brewers hold the largest cushion of any of MLB’s six divisional leaders.
In 43 appearances, Hudson is 6-1 with a sparkling 1.73 ERA and 62 strikeouts with just 17 walks in 62⅓ innings of work. In addition, Hudson has a 0.722 WHIP and has held opponents to a .135 batting average.
LHP Hoby Milner reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
LHP Bryan Hudson optioned to Triple-A Nashville.
RHP Bryse Wilson placed on the 15-day injured list with a right oblique strain, retro 9/2.
RHP Elvis Peguero recalled from Triple-A Nashville. pic.twitter.com/u3BC6MpeRB
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 3, 2024
Brewers Option Bryan Hudson to Triple-A
So why would Milwaukee send Hudson down? Well, there are a couple of factors, starting first and foremost with the fact that he is one of the few Milwaukee relievers with minor-league options remaining.
Then, there’s the matter of workload. Including three innings of work during a recent minor league rehab assignment, Hudson has already surpassed his total innings from last season, spent primarily at Triple-A in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Though his production hasn’t seemed to suffer, there has been a slight drop in his fastball velocity. The hope, Murphy said, is that by following a more structured usage schedule, Hudson can get a bit of a breather, regain the few lost ticks of velocity, and come back at full strength for the home stretch and a long postseason run.
“Bryan’s been a huge part of this and I believe he deserved to be an All-Star,” Murphy said. “But because he has options and because we haven’t exactly liked everything we’ve seen about how the ball is coming out and how he’s responding and that type of thing, when you look at the actual stuff that’s going on, we’re hoping we can get him a little bit of a refresher and get him back to where he was earlier in the season.
“We felt like because we have so much depth on our pitching staff, this would be a good time … so he can come back as strong as he was in the beginning of the season.”
Following Peguero’s Path
It’s a similar process to the one Milwaukee utilized with right-hander Elvis Peguero, who the Brewers recalled from Triple-A Tuesday afternoon.
Like Hudson, Peguero had been a workhorse for Milwaukee this season, going 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 49 appearances before getting sent down on August 19. He also had some things to work on, primarily preventing inherited runners from scoring, and also had minor league options remaining at a time when the Brewers needed to add a fresh arm to the bullpen.
“Both those pitchers are a big part of our future and we’re trying to care for them the best we can,” Murphy said. “We’re trying to be mindful of what’s best for them and what’s best for the team.”
Along with the moves involving Hudson and Peguero, the Brewers also activated left-hander Hoby Milner from the injured list while placing right-hander Bryse Wilson on the 15-day IL with a right oblique strain.
Photo Credit: © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
