Bush begins buildup to critical bullpen role

PHOENIX -- Matt Bush has had a quiet spring. That¡¯s ideal for an established reliever. Unlike the Brewers¡¯ closer, Devin Williams, Bush didn¡¯t have to get ready for the World Baseball Classic, so he took his time ramping up for his first game action on Wednesday when Milwaukee played an exhibition game against Great Britain¡¯s World Baseball Classic club at American Family Fields of Phoenix.

Make no mistake, however. Even if you haven¡¯t heard his name much this spring, Bush, the Brewers¡¯ elder statesman at 37, is critically important to Milwaukee¡¯s reshuffled bullpen.

¡°Look, we¡¯ve changed a lot in our bullpen, and Matt¡¯s a guy who¡¯s been out there and had success,¡± Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of Bush, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out one, in Milwaukee's 8-2 win. ¡°So yeah, he¡¯s a guy that we¡¯re counting on.¡±

Besides Williams and Bush, the Brewers are counting on right-hander Peter Strzelecki and left-hander Hoby Milner to build on the best Major League seasons of their careers. After that, there are decisions to make. Newcomers Javy Guerra, Bryse Wilson and Joel Payamps are out of options. Rule 5 pick Gus Varland, a 26-year-old right-hander with great stuff but who has never pitched above Double-A, must make the Opening Day roster or be offered back to the Dodgers. Righty Jake Cousins has some experience, but he also has Minor League options.

Surely, there will be moving pieces throughout the season. There always are. The Brewers, who picked up Bush from the Rangers at last year¡¯s Trade Deadline, are hoping he isn¡¯t one of them.

¡°Coming in at the Trade Deadline was pretty tough,¡± Bush said. ¡°But coming into this beautiful facility, getting to know the staff and my teammates even more, I¡¯m very excited for this season. That¡¯s for sure.¡±

Bush was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Padres in the 2004 MLB Draft as an infielder before transitioning to pitching in '07. But then, he had a wave of off-the-field issues through his time in the Minors from ¡®09-12, including multiple alcohol-related arrests before he was sentenced to 51 months in prison following his involvement in a near-deadly crash with a motorcyclist.

After making his comeback with Texas as a pitcher, Bush endured years of injuries (including Tommy John surgery in 2019) before finally reestablishing a foothold in 2022. He averaged 97.3 mph with his fastball while making a career-high 65 appearances for the Rangers and Brewers, who picked him up on Aug. 1 for left-handed pitching prospect Antoine Kelly.

Bush held opponents to a .193 average in 25 appearances the rest of the way, but he was burned by the home run ball. He surrendered six homers in a stretch of 17 appearances from Aug. 16 to Sept. 28.

¡°I think it¡¯s fair to say there might have been some fatigue there,¡± Counsell said. ¡°That¡¯s part of ramping him up slowly and getting him off to a good start here and feeling fresh and great on [Opening Day]. That¡¯s the idea here.¡±

Said Bush: ¡°I look back on it and it was really good for me to have a full season once again -- 2017 was my last full season. So to go through the ups and downs and the learning process of what it¡¯s like to grind through the whole 162 games was a big learning experience there. I was able to reflect on that a lot in the offseason.¡±

Bush said he has a ¡°fresh understanding¡± of what it will take to do it again in 2023, when he¡¯s positioned to be a primary setup man to Williams. He spent the winter with his wife and their daughter, Blake, and focused on workouts to build endurance. Counsell doesn¡¯t intend to anoint an eighth-inning specialist, but Bush figures to get some of those high-leverage calls.

¡°It¡¯s all about confidence,¡± Bush said. ¡°It¡¯s all about coming in knowing I¡¯m going to get the job done. Every pitch coming out of my hand should be my very best, and after that, we can look back on things. I can do my best to be confident in what I have and go with my location, and trust that it¡¯s going to get the job done.¡±

Despite Bush¡¯s background as a position player, there¡¯s no doubt he¡¯s a pitcher now.

¡°I always felt like I was a pitcher more than I was a shortstop,¡± Bush said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know which way I was going to be taken in the Draft, and when I switched over to pitcher, I felt like I should have been there all along.¡±