Brewers' Pat Murphy Calls Out Rookie Starter Brandon Sproat

The Milwaukee Brewers faced off against the Houston Astros on Saturday and it wasn't a great outing by rookie hurler Brandon Sproat.

The 25-year-old has flashed some big-time potential, but hasn't been able to consistently string outings together yet this season. On Saturday, he got the start for the Brewers against the Astros and pitched just 4 1/3 innings and allowed five earned runs and hit two batters, while striking out just four batters. With another tough start under his belt, he has now made three straight appearances in which he failed to pitch at least five innings in a game. In fact, five of his last six outings were on the shorter side and were fewer than five innings.

Overall, Sproat has made 11 appearances so far this season, including eight starts, and has a 6.24 ERA and a 52-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 49 innings pitched. Also, he has a 1-4 record so far on the campaign. Overall, it just hasn't been his season so far. This shouldn't be a massive shock. It's not easy to make the jump to the big leagues. There's always going to be growing pains, but Milwaukee needs more. Brewers manager Pat Murphy made that point clear after the game on Saturday, as transcribed by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Brewers Hurler Had Another Tough Outing

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Sproat (23) throws during the first inning of their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, May 24, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I think he took a step back. I don't think he was very good," Murphy said. "We're not going to tolerate too many duds like this, that's for sure. If he's not going to step up — we're trying to win. We're not rebuilding."

Harsh, but true words from the Brewers manager. Milwaukee does need more right now. Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester and Logan Henderson are all on the Injured List without a clear timetable for return. Milwaukee is already seeing its depth significantly tested. If on top of that, Sproat continues to struggle like this, then the club is going to need to make some sort of change. There's no denying the fact that he has significant upside. But the Brewers are trying to win now. It may be worth adding a piece ahead of the 2026 trade deadline if things continue in this direction.

There's been a lot of noise out there about the possibility of going after Tarik Skubal. Right now, it's just speculation and noise. But the Brewers should turn it into reality if things keep going this way in the rotation.

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