Brewers place Matt Bush on injured list, recall Jason Alexander

Oct 5, 2022 - 2:00 AM

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The Brewers made a roster move ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Diamondbacks, placing reliever Matt Bush on the injured list and recalling swingman Jason Alexander.

The illness will bring a close to Bush’s first season with the Brewers. Milwaukee acquired him at the trade deadline after shipping Josh Hader to the Padres, and the expectation was that Bush’s live arm would be a reliable presence in a high-leverage role.

That didn’t pan out as expected. While he posted an excellent 31.2% strikeout rate with his new club, Bush’s walk rate increased, and inconsistent command yielded six home runs in 23 innings. He’ll finish with a 4.30 ERA and 5.15 FIP after the trade.

Bush is under club control for two more seasons beyond 2022, so expect him to fill a major role in next year’s bullpen.

Injuries forced Alexander into a more prominent role this season than the Brewers were hoping, as he’s worked 71 ²⁄₃ innings for the big-league team across 11 starts and seven relief appearances.

Alexander has induced ground balls at a strong 50.6% clip due to his bowling ball sinker, but a poor strikeout-to-walk ratio has held him back to a 5.40 ERA and 5.34 FIP.