The Milwaukee Brewers optioned left-handed pitchers Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser to Triple-A Nashville Sunday. That paves the way for right-handed reliever Easton McGee to claim the final spot on the team’s Opening Day 26-man roster, barring an acquisition from outside the organization at the last minute. Because the statuses of both Kyle Harrison and Brandon Woodruff remain slightly unclear, it’s possible that Drohan or Gasser could be recalled as soon as Thursday, but for now, the team has chosen McGee for the final spot in the bullpen.
It’s an unsurprising move, on two levels. Firstly, McGee is right-handed, and while he’s had limited real utility to the team at the big-league level since joining the organization in 2024, he’s the easiest fit for their needs as the season dawns. With Aaron Ashby, Jared Koenig, Ángel Zerpa and DL Hall all making the team as lefty relievers, McGee offers balance. He can also go more than three outs in a game, but isn’t a candidate to be a starting pitcher, as both Gasser and Drohan are. Thus, the southpaws will head to Nashville and stay stretched out, ready to start if needed based on the availability (or lack thereof) of Harrison and Woodruff over the first few weeks of the season.
Developing Drohan and Gasser as starters isn’t the team’s highest priority, but absent an urgent need for either in the bullpen, it makes more sense to let each continue along that path. Both remain viable prospects to emerge as starters for the team later this year or in 2027, even if their ages are reminders that it’s time to find out what each can do.
McGee tentatively slots into the eighth spot in a bullpen which (in addition to the aforementioned quartet of lefties) includes high-leverage duo Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe and sidearm middle reliever Grant Anderson. Even at the end of February. manager Pat Murphy admitted that in a perfect world, he might have one more trustworthy right-handed arm in that relief corps, and since then, he’s lost Craig Yoho to the injured list. It’s not out of the question that Milwaukee might snatch up a pitcher who doesn’t make the cut for another team as the week begins, but if no such opportunity materializes, McGee will begin the season in a spot that figures to be revolving door all year.