Former Houston Astros Reliever Designated for Assignment by Brewers

One of the former Houston Astros pitchers has not been able to catch on with another MLB team this season.

Sep 10, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Joel Kuhnel (60) pitches during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Minute Maid Park / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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

Early poor play by Hader, Ryan Pressly and others made some alarm bells go off.

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

With them taking over the AL West lead, it's very likely they are going to be adding pieces ahead of the trade deadline even though there aren't many holes on this roster. Because of the Hader signing, Houston is one of the few teams who doesn't need to target bullpen help. That should allow them to allocate their resources to upgrade key positions.

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

According to Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Milwaukee Brewers designated Joel Kuhnel for assignment.

The 29-year-old began his season with the Astros before getting shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. He didn't appear in a game for them and elected free agency in early-June. That was the same story with the Brewers as he was called up twice but was never used.

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

He only has pitched in eight games for the Astros and gave up nine earned runs in 11.2 innings.