Brewers 28-Year-Old Expected To Begin Season On Injured List

The Brewers are going to have their depth tested early on

Jul 2, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; A bucket of baseball sits on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have been dealing with injuries and illnesses throughout Spring Training to this point.

It seems like another injury or illness pops up each day and MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported on Tuesday that veteran reliever Nick Mears will end up beginning the season on the Injured List as he was dealing with an illness himself.

"Brewers reliever Nick Mears will open the season on the IL," McCalvy said. "He was seriously ill last week and just got back on the mound yesterday. Metrics were all good, he said, but he will need a series of bullpens and sim games to get back to game-ready."

Mears is a 28-year-old relief pitcher who has spent parts of five seasons at the big league level. He began his big league career in 2020 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The righty spent the first three years of his big league career in Pittsburgh before joining the Colorado Rockies for the 2023 season.

He appeared in 54 overall games at the big league level in 2024 -- 41 with the Rockies and 13 with the Brewers. Overall, he had a 5.94 ERA across the 54 outings last year to go along with a 75-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 57 2/3 innings pitched.

His ERA wasn't great, but he a depth option for the Brewers with veteran experience under his belt. Unfortunately, the Brewers' depth will be tested early on when the 2025 campaign begins.

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