Not even 48 hours after his stealing the show with his dance moves during the Milwaukee Brewers’ clinching celebration, Enoli Paredes became the odd man out when the team needed to add a fresh arm to its bullpen.
Milwaukee designated Paredes for assignment Friday afternoon, clearing a roster spot for right-hander Kevin Herget to return from Triple-A Nashville.
Enoli Paredes, NL Central champion and dance floor champion pic.twitter.com/v5I4oQf9XY
— David Gasper (@dgasper24) September 19, 2024
Paredes appeared in 17 games for Milwaukee, going 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA, but had a 4.50 mark in three outings since returning from a two-month stint on the injured list for forearm tendinitis.
Herget, meanwhile, posted a 2.08 ERA in five appearances for the Brewers earlier this season, covering 8 2/3 innings. His ability to work multiple innings made him a valuable addition for Milwaukee as it heads into the final week hoping to get some of its regular relievers some rest ahead of the postseason.
RHP Kevin Herget recalled from Triple-A Nashville.
RHP Enoli Paredes designated for assignment. pic.twitter.com/jW7l3frsX7
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 20, 2024
Brewers Shake Up Bullpen, Bypass Bryan Hudson
“We can’t empty the tank every night,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “It’s still about ‘win tonight’ but at the same time, we’re not going to put ourselves in danger of injuring a guy or anything like that.”
The Brewers’ choice to recall Herget to their bullpen bypassed left-hander Bryan Hudson, who Milwaukee optioned to Nashville on Sept. 3 despite going 6-1 with a 1.43 ERA in 43 appearances. That move was intended to get Hudson a bit of a breather heading into the postseason. It was also an attempt to iron out a few things Milwaukee’s coaching staff thought Hudson needed to work on in order to get back to his early-season form.
He has made seven appearances for Nashville, compiling a 2.57 ERA with 10 strikeouts in seven innings of work, but has also given up nine hits and a pair of walks in those outings.
Part of the issue was a slight dip in Hudson’s fastball velocity, but there was a noticeable drop with some of his other pitches, most notably his sweeper which had lost about 5 MPH from earlier in the season.
“There’s more to it,” Murphy said. “If you bring Hudson (back) you don’t have any real length options … he’s more of a leverage guy and he’s working on stuff and it’s going in the right direction.”
Murphy said despite being passed over, he anticipates Hudson being back with the team before the regular season wraps up next weekend. “This kid is important to us, he’s important to our future,” Murphy said. “One might not understand why he’s not here but there’s a method to the madness.”
Photo Credit: © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
