Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy left little doubt Thursday about rookie left-hander Shane Drohan’s place on the club’s National League Division Series roster.
Murphy told reporters Drohan will be included “come hell or high water.”
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy summarized the pregame comments on X: “One development from Pat Murphy’s pregame session today: Shane Drohan is on the NLDS roster ‘come hell or high water.’”
The Brewers open the NLDS on Oct. 3 after clinching the NL Central and a first-round bye. They entered Thursday’s series finale at Philadelphia with a 99-59 record and later reached 100 wins.
Drohan was not on the Opening Day roster. Milwaukee recalled him April 8, and he made his major league debut that night against the Boston Red Sox, the team that traded him in February.
The Brewers acquired Drohan, Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton from Boston in exchange for Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and a compensatory draft pick.
Through Thursday, Drohan was 7-5 with a 4.26 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 120 1/3 innings across 31 games and 18 starts. He also recorded one save. His FIP stood at 3.77.
On Thursday at Philadelphia he worked 2 2/3 innings, allowed one run and lowered his ERA to 4.24.
Milwaukee has used him as both a starter and a reliever. He opened the season in the rotation, shifted to the bullpen through late May, then made 13 consecutive starts beginning June 1. In that stretch he posted a 4.44 ERA and a 4-3 record.
He later returned to the bullpen, made four more starts from late August through mid-September, then worked two relief outings before starting again Thursday.
The flexibility has been the point. In October, when innings are scarce and matchups change quickly, a left-hander who can throw two or three innings on short notice or take a spot start holds value.
Murphy praised that composure earlier in the season. In June he said Drohan was “tremendously poised for a guy who supposedly hasn’t pitched in the big leagues” and called him “really impressive and underrated.”
Drohan, 27, stands 6-foot-2 and throws from the left side. He was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was drafted in 2020.
The Brewers finished the regular season with the best record in baseball and home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs. Their pitching staff already includes several young arms. Adding Drohan’s versatility gives Murphy another option if a starter exits early or a bullpen game becomes necessary.
His strikeout rate of 9.1 per nine innings ranked among the better marks for Brewers pitchers who logged significant innings. Walks remained a work in progress at 3.1 per nine.
His last five starts showed some volatility, with a 6.65 ERA, but the strikeout rate climbed to 9.8 per nine.
Milwaukee’s postseason roster will be official closer to Oct. 3. Murphy’s Thursday comments indicated the decision on Drohan is already made.
The left-hander’s ability to work in multiple roles aligns with how the Brewers have constructed their staff all year: mix-and-match, length when needed, and left-handed looks against certain lineups.
That approach helped them win 100 games. It is the same approach they expect to take into October.
