NL Central-leading Brewers acquire reliever Bush from Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers acquired hard-throwing reliever and former No. 1 general draft choose Matt Bush from the Texas Rangers on Monday evening for infielder Mark Mathias and a high pitching prospect.

Bush is 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA and one save in 40 video games this season, together with 5 beginning in an opener function. He hasn’t allowed an earned run over his final 12 appearances.

He was introduced in to assist fortify the Brewers’ bullpen on the identical day they traded All-Star nearer Josh Hader to San Diego for reliever Taylor Rogers and three different gamers.

“Slightly shocked, undoubtedly wasn’t anticipating it, however I assume only a bittersweet second,” Bush mentioned. “It’s additionally actually thrilling to go to the Brewers, a crew that’s actually profitable proper now and has an opportunity of going to the playoffs and doing massive issues.”

Texas obtained Mathias and left-handed pitcher Antoine Kelly. Mathias will likely be added to the 40-man roster with the Rangers, and Kelly will likely be assigned to their minor league system.

The 36-year-old Bush has spent all 5 of his massive league seasons with the Rangers (2016-18, 2021-22). He was the primary choose within the 2004 draft as a shortstop by his hometown San Diego Padres.

In 180 massive league video games as a pitcher, he’s 12-7 with a 3.34 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings

Bush was a 30-year-old rookie when he made his main league debut with Texas in 2016. That first recreation got here almost 12 years after he was drafted, the longest hole for an general No. 1 to make his debut.

“It’s actually onerous to say goodbye right here. This has been house for me for fairly some time,” Bush mentioned. “My household and I’ve been handled so nicely right here and I really feel just like the group’s at all times taken care of myself first after which baseball.”

Whereas with the Tampa Bay Rays group in 2012, Bush had a DUI accident throughout spring coaching that severely injured, and almost killed, a 72-year-old man on a bike. Bush spent 3 1/2 years in jail.

The Rangers scouted Bush within the car parking zone of a restaurant the place he was employed whereas in a work-release program for the ultimate months of his jail sentence within the fall of 2015.

Bush twice had surgical procedure on his proper elbow whereas with the Rangers. After lacking all of 2019 and 2020, his solely look for Texas final 12 months was a scoreless inning within the season finale.

After a process in 2018 to restore and reinforce the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament didn’t work, Bush wanted Tommy John surgical procedure in 2019. It was the second time he had that ligament substitute surgical procedure since changing from shortstop to pitcher not lengthy after getting drafted.

Mathias, who turns 28 on Tuesday, has began 5 video games at second base for the Brewers this season. He made his massive league debut enjoying 16 video games for Milwaukee in 2020 earlier than lacking all of final season with a torn labrum in his proper shoulder.

The 22-year-old Kelly, a variety for the All-Star Futures Recreation, was a second-round choose by the Brewers within the 2019 draft. He was 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 19 begins at Class A Wisconsin this season.

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