Brewers awkwardly wish player a happy birthday before trade request

There was nothing unusual about the gesture, but it quickly became awkward when a report surfaced that Civale has asked the Brewers to trade him.

Civale’s agent, Jack Toffey, told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that the veteran pitcher has requested a trade from Milwaukee. The decision was made after Brewers general manager Matt Arnold informed Civale that the veteran pitcher is moving to the bullpen.

“The conversation was very professional,” Toffey said. “I just very respectfully said that Aaron would really like an opportunity to continue his career as a starter. He’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year.”

Civale has been a starter throughout his entire MLB career. He made one appearance out of the bullpen in the playoffs last year, but all 122 of his regular-season appearances have been starts.

The Brewers have called up top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski, who is scheduled to start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. The team decided to move Civale to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for Misiorowski.

Civale, whom the Brewers acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays last July, is 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA in five starts this year. He missed time with a hamstring injury earlier this year.

The Brewers are not the first team to send public birthday wishes to a player at an uncomfortable time.