Rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is on the Milwaukee Brewers’ 26-man roster for their National League Division Series versus the Chicago Cubs despite stumbling down the stretch of the regular season.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that the 23-year-old fireballer won’t start in the playoffs but will have a role out of the bullpen.
Misiorowski (5-3, 4.36 ERA) arrived as a sensation upon his June debut, earning NL Rookie of the Month after posting a 3-0 record and 1.13 ERA with 19 strikeouts to seven walks in his first three starts.
However, he faded down the stretch with a 5.89 ERA over his final nine regular-season appearances. He also had a stint on the injured list with left tibia contusion after he was hit by a comebacker on July 28.
Still, a 6-foot-7 righty who regularly throws 100 mph pitches could be quite useful in a postseason bullpen situation.
Southpaw Robert Gasser (0-2, 3.18) also is on the Brewers’ NLDS roster after making a pair of short starts in September as he returned from Tommy John surgery.
Missing from Milwaukee’s postseason roster is first baseman Rhys Hoskins, the second-highest-paid Brewers player behind Christian Yelich. Hoskins had a .237 average with 12 homers in 90 games this season, missing time with a pair of injured list stints due to a sprained left thumb and a right hamstring strain.
Andrew Vaughn, who the Brewers acquired in June, replaced Hoskins while he was sidelined with his thumb injury.
Vaughn has batted .308 with nine homers and 14 doubles in 64 games in Milwaukee. He’ll be Milwaukee’s Game 1 starter at first base on Saturday.
