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Carlos Rodriguez (Nicaraguan RHP)

Brewers Select Joel Kuhnel

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The Brewers announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Joel Kuhnel. In corresponding moves, right-hander Carlos Rodríguez was optioned to Triple-A Nashville while left-hander Robert Gasser was transferred to the 60-day injured list. The Brewers also announced their previously-reported deal to acquire Dallas Keuchel from the Mariners.

Kuhnel, 29, has bounced around the league this year. He signed a minor league deal with the Astros in the offseason and made that club’s roster in mid-April. He was later designated for assignment and flipped to the Blue Jays in a cash deal, though that club kept him on optional assignment before eventually designated him for assignment again. He cleared waivers and elected free agency, which led to his minor league deal with the Brewers a couple of weeks back.

Around those transactions, he has tossed 25 Triple-A innings between three different organizations with a 2.52 earned run average, 14.3% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and a lot of ground balls. Those peripherals are fairly in line with his major league track record, which consists of 85 2/3 innings dating back to his 2019 debut with the Reds. In that time, he has a 6.30 ERA, 19% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 52.2% ground ball rate.

He’ll give the club a fresh arm in their bullpen for the time being. He is in his final option season and can be easily sent back to Nashville at some point if the Brewers would like. He has not yet reached arbitration and could be retained beyond this season if he holds his 40-man spot all year, though he’ll be out of options next year.

Rodríguez was recently promoted for a rotation audition but currently has a 7.30 ERA through three starts. His optioning perhaps suggests that Keuchel will be added to the club’s roster to take that spot shortly. As noted by Adam McCalvy of MLB.com on X, the club lists tomorrow’s starter as TBA, with Colin Rea having previously been in that spot. That perhaps suggests that Keuchel will take the ball tomorrow and Rea will get an extra day of rest, though more information will undoubtedly be forthcoming between now and then.

As for Gasser, it was reported last week that he will require UCL surgery and is done for the year, so this transfer was an inevitable formality.

Brewers Outright James Meeker

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TODAY: Meeker has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

June 11: The Brewers announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Carlos Rodriguez, a move that was reported last week. To get him onto the active roster, righty Kevin Herget was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. To open a 40-man spot, righty James Meeker was designated for assignment.

Meeker, 29, was just added to the club’s roster on Friday. He made his major league debut that night, tossing one scoreless inning before getting optioned the next day when the club signed Elieser Hernández.

Though it’s surely tough to lose his roster spot so quickly, the fact that he even made it at all is something for Meeker to be proud of, given his long and unusual path to the majors. He went undrafted in 2018 and then spent a few years in Indy Ball. He got a minor league deal with the Brewers in 2021 when he was already 26 years old.

He spent the past few years climbing up the ladder, including 27 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this year. He has a 2.67 earned run average on the farm so far this year with a 27.3% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate. He’s generally been a ground ball pitcher throughout his time in the minors, keeping batted balls on the dirt roughly half the time.

The Brewers will now have a week to trade Meeker or pass him through waivers. Players with three years of service time or a previous career outright can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, but Meeker doesn’t meet either of those requirements. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he’ll stick with the Brewers as a depth arm without taking up a roster spot.

Brewers Reportedly Promoting Carlos Rodriguez

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The Brewers are going to promote right-hander Carlos Rodriguez, according to Spanish-language reports from Edgard Rodriguez (X link) and Fernando Rayo of 8 Deportivo out of Nicaragua (links from X one and two). The Nicaraguan hurler is not on the club’s 40-man but will need to be added before he starts Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays.

Rodriguez, now 22, was a sixth-round pick of the Brewers in 2021. He made his professional debut in 2022, tossing 107 2/3 innings between Single-A and High-A. He allowed 3.01 earned runs per nine frames while striking out 30.1% of hitters and giving out walks at a 9.3% rate.

That launched him onto the prospect radar, with Baseball America ranking him #14 in the system going into 2023 and FanGraphs putting him in the #20 slot. He spent most of last year in Double-A with one start in Triple-A late in the year. He tossed a combined 128 1/3 innings with a 2.88 ERA, 29.3% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate.

Here in 2024, he’s been back at Triple-A, having thrown 62 2/3 innings so far. His 5.17 ERA isn’t especially impressive but he’s looked better as the season has gone along, with a 2.83 ERA in six starts since the start of May. That strong showing will get him up to the big leagues for the first time.

The Brewers have put both Joe Ross and Robert Gasser on the injured list in recent weeks, further compounding a growing injury problem for the rotation. Brandon Woodruff is going to miss the entire season due to shoulder surgery and Wade Miley required Tommy John surgery not too long ago. DL Hall and Jakob Junis have each been on the IL for a while as well.

Tobias Myers is starting tonight’s game and should be followed by Freddy Peralta, Bryse Wilson and Colin Rea in the games after that. Rodriguez will then take the hill on Tuesday, which could perhaps be for a spot start or maybe a lengthier stay in the majors, perhaps depending on how he fares.

As for the 40-man roster spot, it’s possible that Gasser could relinquish his to Rodriguez, depending on how things develop in the next few days. The lefty was placed on the IL earlier this week with a left flexor strain. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relayed an update on X today from manager Pat Murphy. Gasser apparently has damage “in the back of his elbow” and has been recommended for surgery by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. But this apparently contrasts with another opinion the club got, so the lefty will be getting a third perspective.

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