Prior to yesterday’s 5-2 win over the Pirates, the Brewers placed right-hander Nick Mears on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 2) due to back tightness. Right-hander Carlos Rodriguez was called up from Triple-A Nashville to take Mears’ spot in Milwaukee’s bullpen.
Mears had a 5.20 ERA over 107 1/3 career innings heading into the 2025 season, including a 7.30 ERA in 12 1/3 frames for Milwaukee after the Brewers acquired him from the Rockies prior to the 2024 trade deadline. In the latest example of the Brewers getting results from an unheralded pitcher, Mears has stepped up as a reliable member of the bullpen this year, posting a 3.42 ERA over 52 2/3 frames. His 21.3% strikeout rate is subpar, and Mears has allowed a lot of hard contact that has been mitigated by a .225 BABIP. On the plus side, his tiny 5.0% walk rate is excellent, and Mears has one of baseball’s best chase rates due in large part to his outstanding slider.
The numbers would look even better if Mears hadn’t allowed three runs in his last game, as the righty was hit hard over an inning of work in the Brewers’ 10-8 loss to the Phillies on September 1. It is fair to assume that Mears’ bad back played in a role in that rough outing, and the injury may have been lingering for a while, as Brew Crew manager Pat Murphy first mentioned that Mears was dealing with back problems in late July.
A club official told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy that Mears may be able to return after just a minimal 15-day absence, though back injuries tend to have an uncertain timeline. Even if Mears isn’t out for too long, he is now the fifth Brewers reliever to hit the IL in the last weeks. Closer Trevor Megill, DL Hall, Grant Anderson, and Shelby Miller are all also sidelined, and in Miller’s case, his season has been ended by a UCL sprain that will likely require Tommy John surgery.
Murphy provided some other injury updates Friday, telling McCalvy and company that Anderson is slated to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment today. Megill hasn’t pitched since August 24 due to a flexor strain, but he has started throwing bullpen sessions and the club has set September 16 as a tentative target date for the closer’s return.
The Brewers have baseball’s best record and a pretty comfortable 5.5-game lead in the NL Central, so they have some luxury in waiting out this spate of bullpen injuries. The chief priority is to have as many healthy pitchers as possible heading into the playoffs, so if Mears or anyone else needs an extra few days to recover, Milwaukee will be as risk-adverse as possible.
