The setbacks just keep coming for the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching staff. In consecutive games, the Brew Crew has lost a left-handed reliever to an injury. On Thursday afternoon, southpaw DL Hall exited in the middle of an inning and was placed on the IL with a left pectoral strain yesterday afternoon. Hall also felt discomfort in his subscapularis muscle — the largest of the four rotator cuff muscles — during his outing in Thursday’s series finale with the San Francisco Giants. He is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks rehabbing from the injury.
Hall was replaced in the Brewers’ bullpen by left-hander Brian Fitzpatrick, who impressed in his first stint with the big-league club back in late April and early May. Fitzpatrick, the Brewers’ 10th round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, surrendered just one earned run in his first 5.2 innings with the Brewers and was set to play an important role in the bullpen with Hall on the injured list.
Fitzpatrick was first in relief for Pat Murphy last night, taking over for Brandon Sproat in the sixth inning of the Brewers’ series opener against the Colorado Rockies. The 6’7″ southpaw tossed a clean sixth inning but injured his elbow while warming up for the seventh frame. As reported by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Fitzpatrick felt a “pop” in his elbow during his warm-up pitches, which indicates a significant injury for the rookie reliever.
Just moments ago, the Brewers officially placed Fitzpatrick on the 15-day IL with a left elbow injury, though they haven’t specified the severity of the injury at this time. Replacing Fitzpatrick in the Brewers’ bullpen is southpaw Drew Rom, whom the Brewers signed to a minor league deal during the offseason.
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 6, 2026Brewers add Drew Rom to their major league bullpen as rookie Brian Fitzpatrick lands on the IL
Despite not pitching in the big leagues since the 2023 season, the 26-year-old Rom does have MLB experience. He made eight starts for the St. Louis Cardinals three seasons ago and posted a lackluster 8.02 ERA in 33.2 innings. Rom then missed the entirety of the 2024 season after suffering biceps tendinitis in Spring Training and eventually needing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in May.
Rom also spent much of the 2025 campaign on the injured list and ended up making just seven appearances, which included a rehab assignment in Low-A. All in all, he posted a 3.86 ERA in those seven appearances, all of which came as a starting pitcher.
The Brewers signed Rom to a minor league deal way back in December, signaling they wanted to scoop up the young lefty before another club did. Milwaukee has since converted Rom to a relief pitcher, and the results have been encouraging. In 22 appearances out of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds’ bullpen this year, Rom boasts a 3.04 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. It’s the highest strikeout rate that Rom has posted since his brief stint with the Cardinals’ Triple-A squad back in 2023, which led to his brief stint in the big leagues.
Since converting to a reliever, Rom has unsurprisingly seen a slight uptick in his fastball velocity, but he still won’t overpower hitters. His four-seamer now averages 92.5 mph, and his sinker sits at 92.2 mph. Rom pairs the two fastball shapes with a splitter that he’s thrown less frequently since joining the Brewers and a slider that has become his main secondary offering.
The results in Triple-A are certainly encouraging for Rom, and with the Brewers lacking left-handed depth in their bullpen, he’s now likely to see plenty of opportunities to prove himself at the major league level. Perhaps he will be the latest arm to benefit from the “land of opportunity” as President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold called the Brewers’ organization back in April.
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