Brewers select Connor Sadzeck, option Keston Hiura

Ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Twins, the Brewers announced that they have selected the contract of Connor Sadzeck from Triple-A Nashville. Keston Hiura was optioned in a corresponding move.

The Brewers are shorthanded in the bullpen, and this time, they’re turning to the hard-throwing Sadzeck to add some depth.

Sadzeck made his big-league debut back in 2018 and has posted a 2.18 ERA and 4.96 FIP in 33 career innings. However, he has not pitched at the game’s highest level since 2019 due to a slew of injuries.

The 30-year-old is an intimidating figure on the mound, standing 6-foot-7 with a fastball that clocks in the upper 90s. However, he has often struggled to control that velocity from his massive frame, walking 17% of hitters in the big leagues and 11% in the minors.

With the Nashville Sounds this season, Sadzeck has dominated to the tune of a 0.96 ERA, although his 3.40 FIP is more solid than amazing. He has notched a 30.7% strikeout rate against a 10.5% walk rate.

While the club probably did not want to demote Hiura, he was the most logical candidate to send down in a roster crunch.

Hiura was slashing an excellent .324/.432/.595 over his last 12 games, and he has posted a 128 wRC+ on the season. However, the return of Hunter Renfroe left him without a clear path to playing time.

Furthermore, Hiura still has some of the worst contact rates in all of baseball and has benefitted from a .412 BABIP, which raises concerns about the sustainability of his performance.

For now, he’ll head to Nashville to get a few more at-bats before the All-Star break.