The Milwaukee Brewers got a significant piece back into the mix for the organization on Thursday as veteran starting pitcher Aaron Civale returned to the mound for just his second start of the season.
Civale started against the New York Yankees on March 30th but hadn't taken the mound since at the big league level after suffering a hamstring injury. He got the ball on Thursday night and pitched four innings of two earned run ball.
Prior to the game, the Brewers had to make a decision to open up a roster spot and opted to designated veteran reliever Joel Payamps for assignment, as shared by MLB Trade Rumors' Darragh McDonald.
"The Brewers announced today that right-hander Aaron Civale has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list," McDonald said. "They have also recalled righty Carlos Rodríguez from Triple-A Nashville. In corresponding moves for those two, they have optioned righty Easton McGee while righty Joel Payamps has been designated for assignment. Milwaukee’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.
"Payamps, 31, is having an ugly season so far. In 18 1/3 innings, he has allowed 17 earned runs, translating to an 8.35 earned run average. That has apparently exhausted the patience of the Brewers, getting bumped off the active roster. Since he’s out of options, they had little choice but to remove him from the 40-man."
Payamps was lights-out for Milwaukee over the last two years. He had a 2.55 ERA in 69 appearances in 2022 and then a 3.05 ERA in 68 appearances in 2024. This year, he has logged a 8.35 ERA in 23 outings.
Now that he has been designated for assignment, teams will have a week to claim him or else he will either go down to the minors for Milwaukee or head to free agency.
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