NL Central Notes: Hudson, Steele, Cruz

For most of the 2024 season, Bryan Hudson was one of the most effective relievers in the major leagues. Out of 58 relievers who have thrown at least 60 innings this year, his 1.73 ERA ranks fifth. However, since September 3, Hudson has been pitching not for the Milwaukee Brewers but for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds.

According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers decided to option Hudson to Triple-A due to concerns about his velocity and durability. The left-hander suffered a minor oblique strain at the of July and came back in mid-August. While his surface-level numbers remained impressive upon his return (2.13 ERA in 12 2/3 IP), his velocity was noticeably lower on all three of his pitches. What’s more, his strikeout rate dropped, his walk rate rose, and his 4.38 SIERA was significantly higher than his 2.98 SIERA pre-injury.

Thus, with the Brewers sitting comfortably atop the NL Central standings, it made sense to send Hudson to the minors, where he could rest up and work on his stuff away from the pressure of the show. He has made just two outings so far for the Sounds, tossing a couple of scoreless innings with four strikeouts, two hits, and no walks allowed. His fastball velocity is still down compared to where it was earlier in the season, but it’s been a little better than it was in his last few outings before his demotion. Perhaps more importantly, his fastball velocity was higher in his second Triple-A outing this month than it was in his first.

It’s unclear if the Brewers are planning to recall Hudson anytime soon, but manager Pat Murphy suggested the 27-year-old will be back in Milwaukee eventually. As Hogg reports, Murphy is “pleased” with what Hudson has accomplished in Nashville, and there’s nothing more he needs to prove. The skipper didn’t provide a timeline for Hudson to get back in the Brewers’ bullpen, but he implied that a return was on the horizon, saying  “I think you’ll see him again.”

The Nashville Sounds’ season ends next Sunday. If the Brewers are hoping to have Hudson for the postseason, it would make sense to call him up once the Triple-A campaign comes to a close. That would give him a week to reacclimate to big league competition before October.

More from around the NL Central:

• After completing a 40-pitch bullpen session yesterday, Cubs starter Justin Steele described it as “a really good day” (per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times). The All-Star hurler landed on the injured list earlier this month with left elbow tendinitis, but he says he is no longer feeling any symptoms of the injury (per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic). As Lee adds, the Cubs still need to monitor Steele’s recovery over the next few days, but as long as he remains healthy, he should be able to return sometime soon, potentially for the four-game series against the Nationals at the end of this coming week. Sitting 5.5 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot, the Cubs are still clinging onto their slim playoff hopes. This late in the season, their fate is probably out of their hands, but it certainly won’t hurt to have their co-ace back for a couple more turns through the rotation.
• Oneil Cruz exited the Pirates game this afternoon with discomfort in his left ankle, manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). He suffered the injury slipping in the outfield. The 25-year-old recently began playing center field for the first time in his professional career, and it will surely take him some time to get used to the new position. Cruz has started 13 games in center over the past three weeks, and he already has two errors and -3 defensive runs saved. Thankfully for Cruz and the Pirates, this injury doesn’t appear particularly serious. Indeed, he was able to stay in the game initially, but, as Shelton puts it, the ankle later “stiffened up.” Cruz is day-to-day for now, but the Pirates certainly aren’t going to take any chances with the young star over the final two weeks of another lost season.