Brewers' Lyon Richardson Promotion Matters More Than You'd Think

The Milwaukee Brewers made another change on Wednesday in the pitching department.

Jun 1, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Lyon Richardson (72) pitches against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers continued to tinker with their pitching on Wednesday afternoon.

Over the weekend, the Brewers demoted righty reliever Garrett Stallings to Triple-A to make room on the roster for lefty Colton Gordon, who was acquired from the Houston Astros ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. Gordon made just one appearance with the Brewers before being optioned down to Double-A Biloxi on Wednesday to make room on the roster for righty Lyon Richardson, per the team. This may not be a move that grabs headlines, but it's quietly important because of the fact that Richardson brings a fresh arm that can toss multiple innings to town.

Today's transactions pic.twitter.com/5iSfaAgVL5

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 23, 2026

Making Sense Of Milwaukee's Lyon Richardson-Colton Gordon Move

Sep 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Colton Gordon (36) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We're at a point in the year in which the most important thing is simply getting through and getting to the postseason. Milwaukee already locked up its fourth straight National League Central title and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Milwaukee has a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the league and the No. 1 seed in the National League. Milwaukee would certainly be in a better place if it can lock that up over the next few days. Regardless, the Brewers won't begin their playoff run until Oct. 3, whether they have the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. That's 10 days away, as of writing.

With Gordon, he was good in his lone outing with Milwaukee and certainly gave the front office something to think about. He tossed five innings of relief against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sep. 22 and allowed just two earned runs and four hits. He tossed 70 pitches across his five innings of work, so he couldn't even pitch again for a few days.

Sending him down now to bring up Richardson gives Milwaukee a fresh arm that can go multiple innings, if need be. Richardson has pitched in 22 games for Triple-A Nashville this season and has tossed 44 2/3 innings. So, he's averaging just a tick above two innings per appearance. Richardson has a 4.23 ERA down in Triple-A this season with Nashville as well. He has pitched in one game for Milwaukee and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Gordon being sent down wasn't a sign that he didn't do well. Simply put, the Brewers sent down a guy who needs a few days to recover after tossing five innings to bring up another guy who can give multiple innings in the final few days of the regular season. The Brewers will have a break after the regular season wraps before the National League Division Series. It will be interesting to see who makes the cut for the playoff roster, but this is more of a move to simply give the club as many fresh arms as possible.