Braddock optioned to Nashville, Herrera DFA'd -- Latest: Herrera still on 40-man roster

[battlekow]

Per Tyler Barnes.

That's...discouraging. Braddock had pitched well since coming off the DL but had only tossed 0.2 innings since the 8th. Herrara is a smurf with an 83 mph fastball who can never, under any circumstances, face right-handed batters. This can't be a purely performance-based decision.

[crewcrazy]

From the postgame press conference on FS Wisconsin:

 

Braddock is doing well with what the club's been working with him on regarding his sleep disorder, but he's been showing up to the park late. They're sending him down to help him "balance things out" when it comes to dealing with the sleep disorder and playing baseball.

[ELCABALLO45]

RR mentioned he keeps showing up late or something like that? This is discouraging

[PKBadger]

@AndrewGruman: "Roenicke says Zach Braddock has been showing up late and he needs to go down there and balance his issues with baseball."

 

 

What the hell, man....

[tstads20]

This stinks, Zach is a very talented guy who just seems to have too much stuff going on off the field. Hopefully he gets things worked out soon and comes back up to help the club, don't feel good about leaning on Herrera in tight situations.

[Oxy]

This just seems weird. Zach has performed just fine, and whatever he is dealing with it seems like it would be easier to deal with at the MLB level than in the minors (so many more perks at the MLB level that just make the day go by easier). At the same time, the gap between the pressure involved in pitching at each level is wider than the Grand Canyon. However, he's performed well enough that it doesn't seem like it has gotten the best of him or anything. Hopefully he's back sooner rather than later.

[battlekow]

Braddock was "still having sleep issues" according to Haudricourt, but I think he's just assuming ("had been reporting late to the park, presumably from oversleeping").

[PrinceEatMeat]

Crap, this really sucks. I don't mind Herrera as a LOGGY, but I still want Braddock on the roster. If he was replacing Estrada this would be a good move.

[battlekow]

Stan Kyles, via McCalvy, makes it sound like the demotion is indeed related to the sleep disorder and isn't disciplinary:

“He had his issues with the sleep thing and he’s been trying to get all that taken care of, but he’s got to get the whole thing taken care of,” bullpen coach Stan Kyles said. “He’s been working hard on all of that. I think this will be good for him, to get away for a while so he can get taken care of what he needs so he can come back and help us.

“He was disappointed, but I think this is going to help him in the long run and that’s going to help us. He’s a big part of this thing.”

[Raw Biz]

I wish they could tell us a little bit more because this doesn't seem like it deserves a demotion. He's been pitching well, his velocity is still up, so it doesn't seem like it's been affecting him like it was earlier in the year. Either there's more to the story that they aren't telling us or this is disciplinary (IMO).

[TooLiveBrew]

Either there's more to the story that they aren't telling us or this is disciplinary (IMO).

 

I think you hit the nail on the head with this. This reeks of being disciplinary imo.

[Nottso]

You guys are way too quick to read stuff into this that may or may not be there. Perhaps he has Apnea, and has been prescribed CPAP. It often takes one weeks, if not months, to become adjusted to CPAP and reap the full benefits. He may very well be "half fixed."

[bill hAll Star]

You guys are way too quick to read stuff into this that may or may not be there. Perhaps he has Apnea, and has been prescribed CPAP. It often takes one weeks, if not months, to become adjusted to CPAP and reap the full benefits. He may very well be "half fixed."

But other than maybe not wanting to "hurt" your MLB club with his under/over sleeping performances, what good does sending him down to AAA do to his condition? Shouldn't he go back on the DL, then?

[crewcrazy]

If he's on the DL, he'd be on a different schedule than everyone else. It sounds like the Brewers want him to get used to the schedule of getting enough sleep, then getting to the park to prepare to play every day. Of course, it could be argued that Triple A is a worse place for him to do that than in Milwaukee, with the worse travel accommodations and longer road trips...that's what makes the entire situation so murky.

[Nottso]

They may be hoping he'll get "the rest of the way fixed" shortly enough so that a second DL stint won't be necessary. With CPAP there are literally thousands of different masks/headgears from which to choose. It can take time to find the right setup and get comfortable with it (if Apnea is even his problem).

 

As a former boss, my greatest pet peeve was a guy showing up late. Guys that were habitually late were gone. Quickly. Braddock showing up late on a regular basis might be disruptive to day to day operations, yet still be forgivable due to it being a medical issue. Maybe this is Roenicke saying "Zach, we just can't have this disruption all the time. We gotta send you down until this is fully under control."

 

My guess is just a guess like any other, but I've had Apnea for 20+ years now and have worked closely with professionals in the industry on new equipment and therapies. I can easily see the above scenario, or others along the same lines, happening. Sleep disorders can be tricky.

[bill hAll Star]

Fair enough. Makes some sense. I really have minimal understanding of the matter I just did think it was a bit fishy.

[Raw Biz]

My whole point was it wasn't disrupting his performance so why send him down unless it was disciplinary. I think with the way our bullpen has performed as of late, we need our best relievers here. Now we basically have two ROOGYs and 1 LOOGY on the team. Loe and Dillard could pitch to multiple batters but if they are lefties, they really shouldn't be. Braddock could pitch an entire inning (though he rarely did) and I think he should have remained with the team if his performance wasn't suffering. Like I said, we don't have all the details so until I get them, I'm leaning towards disciplinary (because of all the being late talk).

[NYChez]

I hope this is an attempt to "get him better" rather than a disciplinary action. Some guys are just different and have negatives but are a net positive. If a relief pitcher shows up a few minutes late for batting practice, but he's able to do his job, then I don't see the big deal. It's a deal, just not a big deal. This should be a mature enough team to handle a guy or two that for whatever reason can't exactly conform with some rules.

If this was a young team that needed to learn a lesson and to be shown that the manager is in charge, then that's one thing. However, this is a veteran team that needs to win now. I can't see Braun or Fielder being happy about this. Losing a good late-inning reliever at the current time hurts the team.

[RightFieldCoder]

There may be times he was arriving late (the media can see that he comes late) and he tells the team he didn't get enough sleep. Both the team and Braddock realize he can't pitch that night. This might explain why he doesn't pitch on some days that scream for a lefty. This leaves RRR an arm short. And he has to answer media questions about why he didn't use Braddock. Maybe RRR has been covering for him for a while. If this is what was going on, it makes sense for the Brewers to send him down to the minors and bring up someone that they know can go every day.

 

The DL is an option, but Braddock needs to learn to deal with daily baseball and his disorder. The minor leagues are harder to adjust to than the majors, but he isn't filling a roster spot in the minors. And when he adjusts to the minors, it will make dealing with the disorder in the majors a breeze.

[jackalope02ca]

A sleep disorder isn't going to cause you to show up late. The alarm clock will still wake you up. You might be too tired and wiped out to pitch but it's not an excuse for being late. Sounds like it's more than likely mental health issues that can more easily be worked out in the minors where there is less pressure. I'm just speculating here but why else would someone not get themselves to the ballpark on time even if it's just to show they can't play. He's a great pitcher but if he's only available once or twice a week we can't afford to keep him on the roster until he works through things. Put him in the minors where he has less pressure and can hopefully work through whatever it he has to work through. Hopefully we see him back later in the year.

[KCBrewerfan34]

Hopefully, this is sleep related and he can get this fixed ASAP. IMO he is our best matchup against Votto and Bruce, he also will play a roll against Howard and Utley (if we make the playoffs).

 

Maybe Herrera can fill the void, I'm hopeful as these games start meaning more that the brass sees the importance of 2 lefties (if effective) in the bullpen to address "situations".

 

 

GO BREW

[Mass Haas]

Just two days ago, Daniel Ray Herrera was interviewed in Nashville, with the audio archived here.

 

Ironically, just last night, the latest Nashville audio was with the gentleman who will be among those critical in working with Zach while in Nashville (Strength and Conditioning Coach Andrew Emmick). Look for that audio just two posts below the audio link above.

[Nottso]

A sleep disorder isn't going to cause you to show up late.

 

That is woefully incorrect. A person with a sleep disorder may awaken and get out of bed when the alarm goes off just fine, then doze off at the table having breakfast... or sitting down to put on their socks and shoes.... or even in the car at a stop sign or red light. There is a gigantic difference in a sleep disorder and "I'm a little tired."

[DuWayne Steurer]

A sleep disorder isn't going to cause you to show up late. The alarm clock will still wake you up. You might be too tired and wiped out to pitch but it's not an excuse for being late. Sounds like it's more than likely mental health issues

That's kind of a broad generalization that's almost completely incorrect. Sleep disorders are a very real, and sometimes very serious HEALTH problem, not mental health problem.

[Funketown]

Roenicke was probably sick of us making fun of him for using Braddock as a LOOGY, so he decided he wanted a real LOOGY (/blue).

 

Well, it really sucks to lose Braddock for now; he's one of the club's best relievers and now he's going to be stashed away in AAA.