Brewers Second-Year Man Becoming Unsung Hero of 2026 Roster

Everything Chad Patrick touches turns to gold

May 16, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Chad Patrick (39) celebrates with catcher William Contreras (24) the win over the Minnesota Twins after the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have one of the most valuable commodities a pitching staff can own: flexibility. And they can thank Chad Patrick for it.

On a young, rapidly evolving pitching staff, the 27-year-old Patrick probably deserved a spot in the rotation all along. But he shifted gears earlier this month to focus on a swingman role out of the bullpen -- that is, until Wednesday, when injuries thrust him back into the rotation.

With a smooth four-inning start against the St. Louis Cardinals to help secure a series sweep at American Family Field, Patrick showed the Brewers and the entire league how important he is to this team's success. Pitchers who can adapt to fit their teams' needs are worth their weight in gold.

Patrick stepping up in whichever role Brewers need

May 27, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Chad Patrick (39) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Through 13 appearances (six starts and seven relief outings), Patrick owns a 2.60 ERA, 3.38 FIP, and 1.2 bWAR. He's only 2-2 in terms of overall record, but he's picked up two saves and two holds out of the bullpen this month. He's only allowed one run and 10 total baserunners in his last 13 2/3 innings since the transition to the bullpen.

Most pitchers who are capable of being big-league starters want to know when they'll be starting. Interestingly, Patrick prefers to be kept in the dark, which almost certainly works in the Brewers' favor.

“I don’t want to know when I’m pitching,” he said earlier this month, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “I like it this way.”

To that end, Patrick came out on Wednesday throwing a lot harder than usual -- 97 mph was his top velocity in, which marked a season-high for the first inning. That approach might prevent him from going five or six innings if the Brewers need him to make long starts in the future, but it was perfect for Thursday with the bullpen well-rested.

Pitchers like Patrick are arguably even more valuable in the playoffs, when every inning needs to be maximum effort from the pitcher on the mound. If he can give them multi-inning efforts in October, he'll etch his name in Milwaukee lore.

While it might be easy for his name to get lost in the shuffle amid amazing seasons from Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, and Aaron Ashby, Patrick is the silent star holding this pitching staff together.