The Brewers have released right-hander Jacob Waguespack, who’s been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. He’s free to explore opportunities with other clubs now.
Waguespack, 32, has pitched in parts of three big league seasons with the Blue Jays and Rays. He’s totaled only 105 2/3 innings in the majors and has a 5.11 ERA, 18.9% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate to show for his efforts.
Lack of big league track record notwithstanding, Waguespack’s 2026 work in Nashville has been quite strong. The well-traveled righty has tossed 16 innings and held opponents to a 2.25 ERA with a huge 33.8% strikeout rate and an even gaudier 17.4% swinging-strike rate. His 16.2% walk rate could obviously stand to improve. Waguespack is sitting 92.1 mph on his four-seamer and coupling the pitch with a mid-80s cutter and a low-80s changeup.
Waguespack last pitched in the majors with the Rays in 2024. He split the 2025 season between the Triple-A affiliates of the Rays and Phillies, combining for a 2.45 ERA in 33 innings. Overall, he’s pitched in parts of six seasons in Triple-A and has a 4.13 ERA in 285 2/3 innings there. Beyond his work at the top minor league level, Waguespack has pitched a pair of seasons for Japan’s Orix Buffaloes. He was excellent there in 2022 (2.97 ERA, 26.2 K%, 9.4 BB%, 72 2/3 innings) before struggling in 2023 (5.77 ERA, 33.3%, 12.9 BB%, 43 2/3 innings).
It’s common this time of year for veterans on minor league deals to reenter the market, whether via an opt out or simply being granted their release with no clear path to a spot in the current organization’s big league roster. They’ll sometimes simply return to the setting where they’ve already been playing, but if a team with a more dire need for bullpen help shows interest — even on a another minor league deal — that might prove to be a better arrangement for the journeyman Waguespack as he looks to push his way back into the majors.
