Brewers' Kyle Harrison Suddenly Facing Possible Role Change

The perception around the Milwaukee Brewers' starting rotation has shifted over the last week or so.

Jacob Misiorowski looks like the favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award and Logan Henderson has been historically good when he has been on the mound. Both of these statements are still true with the regular season winding down. The reason why the perception of the Brewers' rotation has started to shift is because of lefty Kyle Harrison.

The 25-year-old had been among the best pitchers in baseball for much of the 2026 season. He has been ice-cold in his last two outings, though.

Harrison has appeared in 23 games for the Brewers this season. After 21 starts, Harrison had a 2.79 ERA and a 10-3 record in 103 1/3 innings pitched. Things changed over Harrison's last two starts. On Aug. 31, Harrison allowed nine runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs. On Sunday, the lefty followed up by allowing four runs against the Cincinnati Reds in just 3 2/3 innings pitched.

All Eyes Are On Kyle Harrison

Sep 6, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The lefty's ERA has ballooned up from 2.79 to 3.66 in just two starts. A brutal blow for Milwaukee, to say the least. On Sunday, Brewers manager Pat Murphy insinuated that if things continue in this direction, his role could change.

"Maybe he won't start," Murphy said, as transcribed by MLB.com's Jeff Wallner. "Maybe he'll end up being in the middle of the game or something like that ... I think it’s probably back him off a little bit [or] if he starts a game, go shorter."

At this moment, Harrison hasn't been taken out of the rotation. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported that the current plan is for the lefty to make his next start, although there will "probably" be a long man ready to go, just in case.

"Kyle Harrison is scheduled to make his next start on Saturday against the Reds. The Brewers will probably have a long man ready behind him, Pat Murphy said," McCalvy wrote on X.

For the Brewers to be at their best they need Harrison to pitch like he did across his first 21 starts and not the last two.

If Harrison can pitch like he did across his first 21 starts, a playoff rotation starting with Misiorowski, Henderson and Harrison would be enough to get through most teams. Plus, the Brewers have Dustin May, Robert Gasser and Shane Drohan. But if Harrison struggles, then this rotation all of a sudden looks a lot less dangerous.

Harrison is staying in the rotation for now, but all eyes are on him.

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