On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Brewers called up top prospect Jacob Misiorowski. The 6-foot-7 flamethrower is replacing veteran right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale in the rotation. Civale, 30, reportedly wants to leave the Brewers rather than pitch in relief for them, and has asked Milwaukee for a trade, The Athletic reported on Thursday.
After the Brewers informed Civale that he was being sent to the bullpen, his agent, Jack Toffey, approached Milwaukee’s general manager, Matt Arnold.
“The conversation was very professional,” Toffey told The Athletic on Thursday. ‘I just very respectfully said that Aaron would really like an opportunity to continue his career as a starter. He’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year.’
Toffey told The Athletic that Arnold had informed him that the team was ‘exploring options’. Although Civale had made a relief appearance in Game 1 of last year’s wild-card series against the New York Mets, he had started all 122 regular-season games he had played in during his seven-year MLB career.
‘Aaron is not angry or banging his fist on the table,’ Toffey told The Athletic. ‘But it’s a little confusing because he did not pitch his way out of the rotation whatsoever. It’s more of a subjective choice the organisation is making.’
Civale strained his left hamstring in his first appearance this season, but he has logged a 3.32 ERA across the four starts he has made since returning on 22 May.
The Brewers, currently third in the NL Central, traded for Civale last July. In exchange, the Tampa Bay Rays received minor-league infielder Gregory Barrios. Civale enjoyed a smooth transition back to the Midwest, where he started his MLB career with the Cleveland Guardians. The East Windsor native went 6-3 with a 3.53 ERA in his 14 starts after joining the Brewers in 2024, earning $8 million — tied with Freddy Peralta for the highest salary among Brewers pitchers, according to The Athletic. Civale will be replaced in the rotation by Misiorowski, whose fastball has a 103 mph ceiling. The 23-year-old from Blue Springs, Missouri, quickly climbed the ranks of the Brewers’ minor-league system after being picked in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. In 63 1/3 innings with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate this year, Misiorowski has posted a 2.13 ERA and 80 strikeouts.
