Brewers Add Dustin May, Send Sproat Down as Rotation Runs Out of Options

Milwaukee acquired veteran starter Dustin May and optioned Brandon Sproat to Triple-A on Tuesday, the latest roster shuffle in what has become a summer-long scramble to keep a functional rotation together. Sproat was the odd man out — he went 4-8 with a 5.03 ERA in 24 starts, and with May arriving, there simply wasn't a spot for him.

The Brewers have been allowing close to five runs a game over their last ten, a meaningful jump from where they were earlier in the season. That's what happens when you lose Woodruff for the year, send Harrison to the IL with forearm trouble, and ask Shane Drohan to absorb innings he wasn't built to absorb. The staff has been patched and re-patched since June, and May is the latest piece of tape.

He's a name, which counts for something. May has been a reliable arm in Los Angeles for stretches of his career, though this season hasn't been his best. What he offers Milwaukee is length and experience — a veteran who can eat innings without the rotation completely unraveling behind him. That's a modest ask, but it's the right ask for where this team is right now.

The Brewers are 65-39 and still sitting on the NL's top seed with 58 games left. The offense, led by Jake Bauers and a lineup that keeps producing, has kept them afloat. May doesn't need to be an ace. He needs to be good enough that the lead holds.