Just a day after getting two of their best hitters back, the Brewers received some unfortunate news on the pitching front: left-hander Angel Zerpa will undergo Tommy John surgery, shelving him for the rest of the 2026 season and likely the start of 2027, too.
Zerpa, 26, was acquired from the Royals back in December, as Milwaukee sent righty Nick Mears and switch-hitting outfielder Isaac Collins to Kansas City. Entering the season with a career 3.97 ERA and 4.13 FIP, it seemed like an odd move as the Brewers lost arguably a better reliever in Mears along with a valuable outfield depth piece.
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Zerpa then starred for Team Venezuela in this spring’s World Baseball Classic, making six appearances spanning 5 1/3 innings, allowing no runs on three hits and a walk (one intentional), striking out eight. He got out to a solid start with Milwaukee this season, allowing no runs over his first four appearances, spanning 4 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts.
He then picked up his first career save in his fifth appearance, but things quickly went downhill from there. Over his final eight appearances (including the save), he allowed 11 runs (nine earned) over just eight innings, raising his ERA to 6.39 and FIP to 5.35.
Zerpa hit the IL on April 29 with left forearm tightness, and it was reported over the weekend that he was weighing whether or not to undergo TJS, though the road back seemed lengthy either way. Now, Zerpa will indeed get the surgery, keeping him out through early 2027. In his first arbitration season, Zerpa is making $1.095 million this season; he’ll be eligible for arbitration again in 2027 and 2028.
After entering the season with left-handed pitching as a key area of depth, the Brewers are already without three key arms in Zerpa, Jared Koenig, and Rob Zastryzny for the foreseeable future (Zastryzny and Koenig are both out until at least late May). Still, the Brewers have four lefties — Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Shane Drohan, and Brian Fitzpatrick — filling half of their bullpen.
Here’s to wishing him a speedy recovery.
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