MILWAUKEE -- Brandon Sproat’s margin for error shrank before he ever threw his first pitch Monday night.
The Brewers acquired veteran right-hander Dustin May hours before first pitch, and Kyle Harrison is set to return from the injured list on Wednesday. Suddenly, Milwaukee has more starting pitchers than rotation spots.
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Sproat couldn’t capitalize on his opportunity to secure his spot in the mix.
The 25-year-old allowed four runs on five hits across three-plus innings in Milwaukee’s 4-3 loss to the Pirates at American Family Field, an abbreviated outing that only intensified the questions surrounding his place in the rotation as the Brewers reshape their pitching staff.
“Another bad day,” Sproat said. “Letting guys down again.”
The trouble began after Sproat retired the first two hitters of the third inning. Consecutive singles and a walk loaded the bases before Spencer Horwitz cleared them with a three-run double. An inning later, Sproat allowed a leadoff single before spiking consecutive wild pitches to the backstop, prompting manager Pat Murphy to make the rare decision to pull his starter in the middle of Jacob Gonzalez’s at-bat.
Sproat finished with four strikeouts, two walks and three wild pitches.
“I really … the only thing I would take back there is just the walk,” Sproat said of the third inning. “I had the chance to get out of it.”
The timing made the outing impossible to ignore. Harrison is slated to return after missing nearly a month with a forearm injury, while May is expected to make his Brewers debut Thursday following Monday’s Trade Deadline acquisition from St. Louis.
Murphy said after the game he, president of baseball operations Matt Arnold and Sproat planned to meet to determine the next steps.
“We’re going to figure out what the next pieces are,” Murphy said.
Whether those plans include Sproat remaining in Milwaukee remains to be seen.
Murphy noted the organization generally prefers young starters to continue starting if they’re optioned rather than shifting into a bullpen role, but said every possibility is on the table.
The Brewers manager also urged patience, pointing to Corbin Burnes’ rocky 2019 season as a reminder that early struggles don’t always define a pitcher.
“This kid has been better than Corbin was in ‘19, and look what Corbin turned into,” Murphy said. “I’m not going to suggest that he’s going to turn into Corbin next year, but there’s a lot there.”
Sproat, meanwhile, said the roster decisions surrounding him aren’t something he can control.
“I’m not going to stress over it and try to play GM,” Sproat said. “That’s not my job. I’m just going to keep pushing forward.”