Milwaukee Brewers Sign Veteran Relief Pitcher Rob Zastryzny to Minor League Deal

Rob Zastryzny, who is coming off a career-high 21 appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, has earned a Spring Training invitation from the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny to a minor league contract, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg reported Tuesday.

Zastryzny, who will turn 32 years old in March, earned a non-roster invitation to the Brewers' Spring Training camp as part of the deal.

The veteran reliever spent 2023 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA, 1.790 WHIP and a -0.3 WAR in 21 appearances. Zastryzny also pitched for Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic.

The Pirates designated Zastryzny for assignment in September, and he elected free agency after going unclaimed on waivers. 

Zastryzny got his start when the Chicago Cubs selected the southpaw in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He went 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 1.063 WHIP in eight outings as a rookie in 2016 – the same year the Cubs snapped their 108-year World Series drought – but he never approached that level of success in the big leagues again.

Between 2017 and 2018, Zastryzny took the mound 10 times for Chicago. He was designated for assignment in September 2018, then released in March 2019.

Zastryzny tried to latch on with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins over the next few years, but he couldn't pick up steam with any of the three organizations. He finally returned to MLB in 2022 as a member of the New York Mets, and he had a short stint with the Los Angeles Angels later that year.

In 45 games and 59.1 innings of major league experience, Zastryzny is 3-0 with a 4.70 ERA, 1.584 WHIP and a -0.2 WAR. Across 220 games and 661.0 innings in the minors, Zastryzny is 30-35 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.402 WHIP.

Zastryzny will now compete for a spot in a Brewers bullpen that might be short on lefties. Hoby Milner is the only left-handed reliever currently projected to make Milwaukee's Opening Day roster, according to Fangraphs.

Ethan Small, Clayton Andrews and Aaron Ashby are all on pace to start 2024 in Triple-A.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.