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Following Saturday night's game, the Brewers made a roster move. They placed reliever Tyler Thornburg on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder issue. Thornburg had been pitching with this for a while, and after Friday's game the team decided to put him on the DL to give him time to recover. Initial reports are that it's not an issue with the UCL, but Thornburg is returning the Milwaukee to be examined by the team doctors.
In a corresponding move, the Brewers promoted Mike Fiers from Nashville to fill the vacant spot. This is Fiers first time with the team since last season, when he struggled in 11 games (3 starts), posting a 7.25 ERA. He has been excellent for Nashville this year. posting a 2.53 ERA in 11 starts for the team.
While there were better options in relief in Nashville (Donovan Hand, Jeremy Jeffress, and Dustin Molleken), none were on the 40-man roster, so all would require a space to be cleared on that to be called up. The two relief options on the 40-man roster wouldn't work either. Alfredo Figaro is still on the minor-league DL with an injury, and Michael Blazek has not been pitching well this season.
It is uncertain how long Fiers will be with the team. With Tom Gorzelanny potentially set to come back this week, Fiers could end up back in Nashville once Gorzelanny is ready. However, that would put four left-handed relievers in the bullpen, which is not an ideal situation. The Brewers don't appear to be too willing to part with any of their current left-handed relievers. Will Smith has been one of the best in the bullpen, Zach Duke has put together a great season, and the Brewers are committed to keeping Wei-Chung Wang. Going with 8 relievers is a possibility, but not a realistic one considering the current position player situation. Going with a short bench means there's not a ready backup available for at least one position. It's also possible that Gorzelanny is not ready this week, meaning Fiers could be with the team for a few weeks.