Brewers Demote 0.00 ERA Reliever to Promote Colton Gordon

The Milwaukee Brewers made a change on Friday.

Apr 14, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Colton Gordon (61) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just because the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is winding down, that doesn't mean that the Milwaukee Brewers are done tinkering with their roster.

On Friday, they showed this. Milwaukee announced that right-handed reliever Garrett Stallings has been demoted down to Triple-A — despite a 0.00 ERA in six appearances — to make room on the roster for lefty Colton Gordon.

Today’s transactions pic.twitter.com/fBqroMVP25

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 18, 2026

The Brewers Made A Change

Apr 24, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Colton Gordon (61) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The move is a bit surprising, but let's dig into it and break it down.

Stallings has pitched in just six games in the majors for the Brewers this season and has been great. The righty has gotten his first taste of big league action and hasn't allowed a run yet in 14 innings of work. That's impressive, to say the least. He made three appearances in July, one appearances in August and returned to the big leagues on Sep. 11 and made two scoreless appearances before being sent back down to Triple-A.

Gordon, on the other hand, has pitched in four games in the big leagues this season and has an 11.57 ERA in 9 1/3 innings of action. His time in the majors hasn't been in Milwaukee, though. It was with the Houston Astros before he was traded to the Brewers, along with Lance McCullers Jr., ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. McCullers isn't in the organization any longer. When the Brewers made the deal, it was said at the time that Gordon could end up being the main guy in the trade for Milwaukee. Now, he's getting his first taste of big league action for the organization.

Since the deal, Gordon has been down with Triple-A Nashville and he has been stretched out as a starter. In 10 starts, Gordon logged a 4.67 ERA in 54 innings pitched down in Triple-A in the Brewers' system. In the Astros' system, he had a 3.69 in 14 appearances, including 13 starts, before the trade.

He brings another left-handed arm to the majors for Milwaukee with multi-inning potential. With Kyle Harrison struggling, it's intriguing timing to see another lefty up in the big leagues who has been stretched out as a starter and has big league experience. Gordon has elite extension and has big upside. Milwaukee is loaded and is going to be just fine in the long run. With just over a week left, the Brewers will test Gordon to see if he can help in the playoff run.