Brewers Acquire Joel Kuhnel: Inside the Trade That Could Transform Milwaukee's Bullpen

Brewers land right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel from Oakland Milwaukee’s front office continued its season-long bullpen reshuffle by buying low on 31-year-old right-hander Joel Kuhnel, sending cash to the Athletics after Oakland designated the veteran for assignment on 5 June. The Brewers activated Kuhnel ahead of tonight’s opener against—fittingly—the A’s and optioned rookie Craig Yoho to Triple-A while moving injured starter Quinn Priester (thoracic outlet symptoms) to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot Why Milwaukee needed reinforcements • Eight Brewers pitchers are on the IL, including high-leverage arms Angel Zerpa (Tommy John surgery) and DL Hall (pectoral strain). • The club has burned through depth pieces—Yoho is the ninth reliever sent down in three weeks—while ranking 11th in the NL in bullpen ERA since 1 May. • Manager Pat Murphy has leaned heavily on closer Abner Uribe and set-up man Trevor Megill; adding a veteran with late-inning experience eases the workload. What Kuhnel brings to the Crew Early this season Kuhnel grabbed Oakland’s ninth-inning role, converting four of five save chances while running a 2.88 ERA through 20 games. A four-run meltdown against the Cubs on 4 June spiked that mark to 4.21 and cost him his roster spot, but the underlying metrics remain intriguing: • 95.3 mph sinker that produces a 57 percent ground-ball rate. • Career-best 29 percent whiff rate on a newly tightened slider. • Reverse platoon splits (.221 average vs lefties in 2026), giving Milwaukee a weapon against tough left-handed bats in the late innings. Familiar territory Kuhnel spent a month with the Brewers’ Triple-A Nashville club in 2024, giving the organization first-hand knowledge of his work ethic and pitch data. Pitching coach Chris Hook is renowned for sinker/slider tweaks—success stories like Jake Woodford and Jared Koenig suggest Kuhnel could be the next beneficiary. Outlook Milwaukee controls Kuhnel through 2028, so the move is more than a short-term patch. If he sticks, the righty could slot into a middle-to-late-inning bridge role, letting Uribe and Megill stay fresh for the stretch run. For Oakland, the deal clears a 40-man seat as they continue to cycle through young arms in a rebuilding year. Key numbers 4 Saves (2026) 95.3 mph Average sinker velocity 57 % Ground-ball rate 1.4 M$ Projected 2026 salary (arbitration year) Bottom line The Brewers turned a low-risk cash outlay into a controllable power arm precisely when their bullpen depth is stretched thin. If Kuhnel’s stuff looks more like April than early June, this could be another stealth win for Milwaukee’s pitching factory.