Brewers Designate Lance McCullers Jr. For Assignment

The Brewers have designated right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. for assignment, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Righty Garrett Stallings has been recalled in a corresponding active roster move. The team’s 40-man roster stands at 38 with McCullers’ designation.

It’s a quick change given that McCullers was just acquired from the Astros on July 15th. Houston sent McCullers, left-hander Colton Gordon, and cash to Milwaukee in exchange for minor leaguer Jadyn Fielder. Essentially, the Brewers were getting a promising young arm in Gordon at the cost of Fielder and taking on $2.5MM of McCullers’ remaining salary. Today’s designation of McCullers backs that up, as the righty now heads into DFA limbo after a brief, disappointing stint with his new club.

The Brewers activated McCullers on the 17th and used him out of the bullpen for two appearances afterwards. He allowed two earned runs in three innings against the Mets on July 20th. He followed that with 1 2/3 innings on July 25th, in which he walked four batters and allowed three runs, all unearned.

While 4 2/3 innings are a small sample size, the results weren’t encouraging for McCullers, who’s struggled with a myriad of injuries and hasn’t been an effective big league pitcher in any sample since 2022. He missed all of 2023-24 while undergoing surgery for flexor tendon issues and bone spurs. Since the start of 2025, McCullers has a 6.52 ERA in 99 1/3 innings and a 14.1% walk rate that’s well above his previous career norms. With the club leading the NL Central and having one of the league’s best bullpens, the club was willing to move on quickly rather than continue to use a diminished McCullers, even in low-leverage spots.

The righty now heads to outright waivers, though he’s certain to clear given his injury history, ineffectiveness, and the remaining salary obligations. If a team wants McCullers as a depth arm, the smarter move would be to wait for him to clear waivers, then sign him to a new contract at the league minimum, with the Brewers and Astros covering the difference. A minor league deal is also a possibility, as McCullers could feasibly elect free agency when he clears waivers, then stick around in the Brewers’ system to re-establish himself in a larger sample.

In the meantime, Stallings comes up to take McCullers’ spot as the long man out of the bullpen. Since being selected to the 40-man roster on June 30th, Stallings has appeared in two games for the Brewers, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out four batters. He’s also done well at Triple-A Nashville around those two big league appearances. In 65 2/3 innings there, Stallings has a 3.70 ERA a 12.6% K-BB rate, and a 0.55 HR/9 rate. He might stick around for a handful of appearances, and he’ll likely get sent down for a fresh arm as the need arises.