The Milwaukee Brewers have been exploring every avenue available to shore up their bullpen heading into the 2026 MLB Playoffs, but the path hasn't been as easy as initially expected. Between the waning velocity of Logan Henderson's fastball, a trade deadline that left more questions than answers, and unsteady production from their prospects, the Brewers were banking on someone like Brandon Sproat to step up and help them fill the gap.
Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be an option with Sproat, the 25-year-old right-handed pitching prospect who came to Milwaukee as part of the Freddy Peralta trade with New York. A seventh-round pick by the Rangers in 2019, Sproat made his debut last season for the Mets and, frankly, hasn't been able to find his footing ever since.
Through 97 innings in Milwaukee this year, Sproat has posted a 5.57 ERA with a 3-7 record, and the underlying metrics don't add much to support his case, ranking in the 7th percentile of pitching run value and the 14th percentile of expected ERA. Not only did he get chewed out by Brewers Manager Pat Murphy, but he was optioned back to AAA Nashville, potentially ending his season in the majors.
Brandon Sproat might've just lost his chance to break into the Milwaukee Brewers lineup.
Murphy was not happy with Sproat's performance in the Brewers' recent 8-6 win over the Chicago Cubs, in which he allowed four runs in the ninth inning, opening the door for a Cubs comeback that was shut down by Abner Uribe. This came after a scoreless eighth inning for Sproat, but his inability to sustain that through the end of the game caught the ire of his manager:
"It's unacceptable. You got to throw the ball over the plate, or you can't be a major league pitcher," Murphy said. "No matter what, you can't let it snowball like that."
This is a continuation of the trend for Sproat, who has seized at least three runs in four of his last five appearances for the Brewers. All but the last of those opportunities were starts as well, so Murphy was already trying to find ways to activate Sproat's abilities from the mound in a functional way to help his team win, and the formula just hasn't been there yet.
This should be a valuable learning experience for Sproat and the Brewers' entire bullpen rotation, as this stage of the season, with the postseason looming large over their heads, there's no room for error. If you're not able to rise to the occasion, you won't get another opportunity to do so.
Pat Murphy is a player's coach, by most accounts. But he's not afraid to give tough love when he needs to, or put his foot down in defense of his team's ability to succeed. So with the Playoffs just 15 games away, the Milwaukee Brewers' pitching rotation has no choice but to thrive, or else they'll get pulled without hesitation because that's what's best for the team.
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