Brewers DFA 5-Year MLB Veteran After One Start

The Milwaukee Brewers are cutting ties with a veteran pitcher, for now.

Five-year big league veteran Bruce Zimmermann made a start for the Brewers on Tuesday. The lefty pitched six innings against the San Diego Padres and allowed five earned runs while striking out one batter. Now, the Brewers are designating him for assignment to make room on the roster for Carlos Rodríguez, per the team.

Today’s transaction pic.twitter.com/LlAjB3ZhS7
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 24, 2025

Despite allowing five earned runs in his start on Tuesday, Brewers manager Pat Murphy had nothing but praise for him afterward.

The Brewers made a move on Wednesday

Sep 23, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Bruce Zimmermann (55) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

"I know our fans probably don't watch it the same way I do, but...he pitched six innings, and we all know the state of our bullpen and the pitching staff in general," Murphy said as transcribed by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I thought he did a tremendous job, and that's exactly what was needed tonight."

Zimmermann was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He eventually made his big league debut in 2020 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. He spent four seasons in the majors with Baltimore and didn't see any major league action in 2024.

Now that he has been designated for assignment, teams will have a chance to claim him off waivers. If he goes unclaimed, then he could either return to the minors for the Brewers or head to free agency. Right now, he's being DFA'd by the Brewers. But, it's too early to know for sure if his time with the Brewers organization is truly over. We'll find out more over the next few days.

Milwaukee signed a minor league deal with the Brewers in December of 2024. He opted out of the deal in July be re-signed with the Brewers. It would be somewhat surprising to see someone snag him now that he has been DFA'd. It wouldn't be shocking to see him back down in the minors for the Brewers, but we don't need to speculate. We'll find out over the next few days.

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