The Milwaukee Brewers lost a depth arm on Tuesday.
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported that left-handed reliever Drew Rom was claimed off waivers by the Athletics after appearing in five games with Milwaukee at the big league level this season.
"The A's claimed LHP Drew Rom off waivers from the Brewers," McCalvy wrote.
Rom was designated for assignment on Sunday to make room on the roster for Ji Hwan Bae .
Rom pitched in five games for the Brewers this season in the big leagues and logged a 3.18 ERA and an 11-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 5 2/3 innings. Not a large sample size, but a positive one nonetheless. Rom signed with the Brewers in free agency to a minor league deal this past offseason after he elected free agency from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jul 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Drew Rom against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The lefty spent most of the 2026 season to this point down in Triple-A and was great. Rom made 31 appearances with Triple-A Nashville and logged a 2.20 ERA and a 61-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 41 innings pitched. That production is what got him back to the big leagues for the first time since 2023. Back in 2023, Rom made his big league debut as a member of the Cardinals and appeared in eight games and then wasn't able to make it back to the big leagues in the years since.
Now, he's set to join a club that desperately needs help in the bullpen. The Athletics have the worst bullpen in Major League Baseball. The Athletics' bullpen has a 5.77 ERA on the season so far. The closest team to the Athletics right now is the Kansas City Royals , which has a 5.37 ERA. That goes to show how bad the Athletics' bullpen has been this season. The closest team to the Athletics has a bullpen ERA that is 0.40 lower.
Rom is someone who could give them a boost.
It's always tough to lose a depth option, even if the club is strong in the area. The Brewers have the fourth-best bullpen in the league , but it would've been great to find a way to keep Rom.
He isn't even the first veteran depth piece the Brewers have lost throughout the week. On Monday, Bryse Wilson cleared waivers and opted to elect free agency from Milwaukee , rather than heading down to Triple-A. It certainly hasn't been the best week for Milwaukee from a depth perspective.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/brewers/onsi as Brewers Lose 26-Year-Old Pitcher to Athletics .
