Brewers shuffle bullpen by designating Javy Guerra for assignment, placing Matt Bush on IL, adding Alex Claudio and Jake Cousins

After a late-inning bullpen breakdown, the Brewers made a series of roster moves prior to today’s game against the Tigers. They designated Javy Guerra for assignment and placed Matt Bush on the 15-day IL with right rotator cuff tendinitis. To fill the spots that were cleared, the Brewers recalled Jake Cousins and selected the contract of Alex Claudio from Triple-A Nashville.

Guerra had been acquired by the Brewers in the offseason by a trade with the Rays. They sent a PTBNL (Victor Castaneda) to the Rays in return. Guerra struggled through the spring with seven earned runs allowed in 5 ²⁄₃ IP and a 4:3 K:BB ratio, but the Brewers kept him on the roster because he was out of options. He did have five scoreless outings with the team, but also struggled with just five strikeouts compared to nine walks. The five runs allowed yesterday more than doubled his ERA to 8.64.

Bush was acquired at the trade deadline last season as a pitcher who could stick with the team for a few years. He also struggled through the spring but was still kept on the roster. He started out the season alright with four scoreless appearances before blowing a save on April 13 with two runs allowed in the eighth, followed by another run allowed in his next appearance on April 17. Though his eight strikeouts to six walks is a bit better, he’s also allowed four home runs in his nine appearances. Most of the damage came last night as well, with four runs allowed in ¹⁄₃ of an inning of work. That ballooned his ERA and FIP to 8.22 and 10.37, respectively.

Cousins is getting the call up to fill one of the available roster spots. In five appearances for Triple-A Nashville so far, he has a 10.38 ERA, but most of that came in a single outing where he allowed four runs. Three of his five appearances have been scoreless, and he has eleven strikeouts compared to just two walks so far this season.

Claudio is back for his second stint with the Brewers after playing with them in 2019 and 2020. In seven appearances in Triple-A so far, he’s allowed just two runs in six innings (3.00 ERA), with five strikeouts compared to two walks. Five of his seven appearances have been scoreless.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs.