Brewers Facing Tough Call After Pat Murphy’s Comments

The comments stood out because they differed sharply from Murphy's tone just one start earlier. Following another difficult outing, Murphy publicly backed Sproat and emphasized that the Brewers had no plans to remove him from the rotation.

At the time, he described Sproat as a talented rookie with the potential to develop into a high-end starter and noted that young pitchers often go through growing pains. But that conversation appears to have taken another direction.

Sproat failed to complete five innings for the third consecutive start and for the fifth time in his last six outings. His ERA climbed to 6.24 after Saturday's loss, and opponents have consistently forced him into high pitch counts early in games.

The Brewers acquired Sproat from the New York Mets during the off-season as part of the trade that sent Freddy Peralta to New York. Milwaukee hoped the young right-hander could grow at the major league level while helping a team with postseason aspirations.

So far, that development has not happened as expected. The Brewers have not announced any rotation changes. But after Murphy's unusually blunt comments, the question of whether Sproat should return to the minor leagues has become impossible to ignore.

Despite the struggles, Milwaukee's options remain limited. Several starters remain on the injured list, including Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester and Logan Henderson.

Woodruff is the closest to returning, but the Brewers still need innings from their current rotation until reinforcements arrive. Coleman Crow's presence on the active roster suggests Milwaukee intends to keep him in the starting mix.

Chad Patrick has performed well since moving into a bullpen role, and the Brewers may hesitate to shift him back into the rotation.