The Milwaukee Brewers will conclude their series against the New York Yankees on April 28 with a strong record of 17-9. Despite facing injuries to key players, they have only dropped one series in the first month of the season. Their impressive performance includes leading the league with 12 wins on the road from American Family Field.

Seven pitchers are currently on the injured list for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Before Opening Day, the Milwaukee Brewers faced significant challenges with injuries to several key pitchers. Brandon Woodruff will miss the entire 2025 season, while Devin Williams requires a three-month recovery period due to stress fractures in his back. Taylor Clarke underwent knee surgery, and Wade Miley, despite returning to make two starts, will also need Tommy John surgery. Other sidelined pitchers include J.B. Bukauskas, DL Hall, and Jakob Junis.

As a result of these injuries, the Brewers have had to patch together their starting rotation, using a league-leading nine different pitchers so far. Bryse Wilson, who primarily served as a reliever last year, has transitioned into a starting role. Tobias Myers was called up from Triple-A to contribute as well. Consequently, the bullpen—without a designated closer—has been heavily relied upon and overworked. Despite these challenges, the Brewers have managed to continue winning games.

Christian Yelich and Garrett Mitchell are also sidelined with injuries.  

In addition to the pitching challenges, the Milwaukee Brewers are also missing two key outfielders from their lineup. Christian Yelich has been dealing with a back issue, and although he is making slow progress and has started some hitting and throwing activities, his return date remains uncertain. Garrett Mitchell, who suffered a hand fracture, is expected to return around early June. These absences have further impacted the team’s depth in the outfield.

Milwaukee Brewers GM Matt Arnold says, “We’re trying to hold everything together with duct tape”.

According to a piece by Bob Nightengale in USA Today, Brewers GM Matt Arnold discussed the challenges the team has faced at the start of the 2024 season. One solution Arnold mentioned is simply waiting for key players to recover from their injuries, indicating that the team’s strategy for improvement hinges significantly on the return of injured personnel.

“We’re trying to hold everything together with duct tape.  It’s almost like we’ll have our own little trade deadline when all of these kids get healthy.  It’s certainly been a test for us, but every year has its new challenges.”

-Matt Arnold

It sounds like the Brewers are relying on makeshift solutions to hold their team together until key players can return. If unexpected contributors like Blake Perkins, Brice Turang, Bryan Hudson, and others continue to perform above expectations, there’s hope for the team to remain in playoff contention. However, if the current approach isn’t sustainable, GM Matt Arnold may need to explore acquiring players through alternative means to address the team’s ongoing injury challenges. This could involve trades or other roster adjustments to bolster the team’s depth and competitiveness.