Rea appeared in relief during Wednesday's 8-1 loss to the Dodgers, recording two outs while allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks.
Rea had started in each of his prior five outings with the Brewers, but his usage out of the bullpen Wednesday confirms that the recently activated Adrian Houser has replaced him as Milwaukee's No. 5 starter. Given that the soft-tossing right-hander labored in his 27-pitch appearance Wednesday, it's possible that the Brewers option him to Triple-A Nashville in the coming days to transition him back to a starter's schedule in preparation for a big-league rotation spot opening back up later on this season.