The Brewers have recently inked right-handed pitcher Kevin Herget to a minor league deal. Herget has joined the team in their major league camp and made his spring debut against Texas, delivering an impressive scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts.
Last offseason, Herget became a free agent in the minor league circuit after completing a season with the Reds, during which he saw a career-high workload in the MLB. In 14 appearances, he pitched 24 1/3 innings primarily in low-pressure relief situations, posting an earned run average of 5.18 with a below-average strikeout rate of 12.4%. However, at the Triple-A level, he demonstrated more prowess by striking out 22.7% of batters across 47 1/3 innings. Despite his efforts, Herget faced challenges with an elevated home run rate, resulting in a 5.13 ERA in the minors, similar to his MLB performance.
Having spent a decade in professional baseball across five different organizations, Herget made his major league debut with the Rays two seasons ago, appearing in three games. He has accumulated 31 1/3 innings at the highest level, registering a 5.74 ERA. However, he boasts a more favorable 4.25 ERA over six seasons at Triple-A.
Herget’s addition provides the Brewers with valuable upper minors experience. He is expected to start the season as a depth option for long relief at Triple-A Nashville. With two minor league options remaining, the Brewers have flexibility to move him between the majors and Nashville by adding him to the 40-man roster if necessary.
