Angel Zerpa Surgery Pushes Brewers Schedule Into 2027 — Brewers Schedule
Angel Zerpa's Tommy John surgery on Monday pushes the Brewers schedule into a longer bullpen absence, with the left-hander set to miss the rest of this season and part of 2027. Milwaukee now has to plan without one of the relievers it acquired this past offseason.
Angel Zerpa and Pat Murphy
Zerpa is on the 15-day injured list after going down about a week ago with forearm tightness. Pat Murphy called the injury fairly concerning and said Zerpa was headed for further testing before surgery became the route forward.
That testing led to a standard recovery timeline of 14-plus months. Monday's procedure makes the absence more than a short-term bullpen patch; it removes a left-handed option through the rest of 2026 and into part of 2027.
Milwaukee's bullpen math
The Brewers sent Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to Kansas City in a two-for-one deal to get Zerpa this past offseason, and he was supposed to be part of the relief mix after reaching three years of big league service in 2025. Instead, he heads into surgery with a 6.39 ERA in 12 appearances this year.
Zerpa is also carrying the financial and roster side of the injury. He and the Brewers agreed to a $1.095 million salary for 2026, and he will be eligible for arbitration again for 2027 and 2028. Milwaukee will have to decide whether to tender him a contract for next year when he might miss half of it.
Roster spot pressure
For now, Zerpa remains on the 15-day injured list, and Milwaukee will transfer him to the 60-day injured list whenever it needs to open a roster spot. Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny are also on the injured list, while Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Shane Drohan and Brian Fitzpatrick occupy four of the eight relief spots.
That leaves the Brewers balancing immediate innings with a thin left-handed group and a contract decision that reaches past this season. Zerpa's next game action will not come for a long time, and the club has to carry that reality into its bullpen planning now.
