6:07pm: Richardson is already back in the organization, as Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that he signed a new minor league contract.
4:00pm: The Brewers have sent right-hander Lyon Richardson outright to Triple-A Nashville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. Richardson has elected free agency, per Jack Stern of Brewer Fanatic.
Richardson, 26, was a second-round pick of the Reds in 2018. He got up to the majors a few years ago and mostly acted as up-and-down arm. He exhausted his final option year in 2025 and got pushed to fringe roster status. The Reds were able to get him through waivers unclaimed in the offseason. He was added back to the roster a couple of months into the campaign but was quickly nudged onto the wire again. When he cleared the second time, he was able to elect free agency and signed with the Brewers.
With Milwaukee, he got a very brief look. He was added to the roster last week. He made one appearances, throwing 1 2/3 innings without allowing a run, before getting designated for assignment. He could now return to Nashville but he could also return to the open market. Since 29 teams just passed on the chance to grab him from the waiver wire, he would likely be limited to minor league offers.
Over his sporadic big league looks, Richardson has logged 58 1/3 innings, allowing 6.48 earned runs per nine. His 17.2% strikeout rate and 14.6% walk rate are both poor marks, though his 51.6% ground ball rate is quite strong. He has shown more potential in the minors. Dating back to the start of 2025, his first season as a primary reliever, he has thrown 92 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.39 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate, 11.4% walk rate and 51.2% ground ball rate.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
