Former Houston Astros reliever designated for assignment by Brewers

The Houston Astros entered this season thinking they had improved their bullpen after signing Josh Hader, but with the loss of three key arms in free agency, overall depth was thin.

The poor starts from Hader, Ryan Pressly and others have set off alarm bells.

Fortunately, things have stabilized and the Astros are starting to look like the team that struck fear into the hearts of American League teams for the past seven years.

With their lead in the American League West, it’s very likely that they’ll add pieces before the trade deadline, even if there aren’t many holes on this team. With the signing of Hader, Houston is one of the few teams that doesn’t need to target bullpen help. That should allow them to allocate their resources to upgrade key positions.

However, depth is always something teams want to have heading into the second half of the season, and they could potentially seek a reunion with one of their former relievers.

According to Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee SentinelThe Milwaukee Brewers have designated Joel Kuhnel for assignment.

The 29-year-old started his season with the Astros before being sent to the Toronto Blue Jays in a cash deal. He didn’t play a single game for them and opted to become a free agent in early June. It was the same story with the Brewers, where he was recalled twice but never used.

Kuhnel was originally acquired by Houston in the summer of 2023.

He pitched just eight games for the Astros and allowed nine earned runs in 11.2 innings.