Just days after Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell told Milwaukee reports that Kyle Lohse "is still in the rotation. Kyle's pitching Friday night as of now", Lohse has been bumped out of the rotation and moved to the Brewers bullpen. MLB.com Brewers' reporter Adam McCalvy was first to share the news.
The 36-year-old was coming off another poor performance, allowing four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings to the Chicago Cubs, dropping his season line to a 6.31 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 5-13 record in 22 starts. Lohse hasn't been missing many bats lately, with no stat more telling than his 86/30 K/BB ratio, compared to a 141/45 K/BB ratio last season.
McCalvy later added that the Brewers could still look to trade Lohse, also opening up the possibility of Milwaukee releasing Lohse. Lohse is in the final year of a three-year, $33 million deal and has allowed 25 home runs this season, though 16 have come at Miller Park, so it's possible a change of scenery to a pitcher's park could help him in a big way.
While it's unknown how long Lohse will be in the bullpen or even a Brewer for that matter, we do know 26-year-old right-hander Tyler Cravy will take his place in the rotation and start Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals, Lohse's former team. Cravy made two starts for Milwaukee this season, a seven-inning, one-run game on June 2 against the Cardinals and a six-inning, four-run start on July 7 against the Atlanta Braves. In 17 starts at Triple-A Colorado Springs, he has a 3.97 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and .258 opposing batting average allowed.
Fantasy Spin:
Lohse's season made him a must-avoid start for any fantasy owners that had him and he was never in consideration for use in Daily Fantasy Sports. In fact, his removal from the rotation just means one fewer option for DFS players to stack a lineup against. Cravy is not worth a fantasy pickup given his minor league numbers and with half his starts going to come in Miller Park.