Mears is not on the Brewers' NLCS roster, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Mears made three scoreless appearances during the NLDS and posted a 3.49 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 46:13 K:BB over 56.2 innings during the regular season, so his exclusion from the NLCS roster comes as a surprise. His spot is being absorbed by Tobias Myers, who will offer the Brewers more length in the bullpen.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Officially activated
Rotowire
The Brewers reinstated Mears (back) from the injured list Wednesday.
Mears will rejoin the Brewers' bullpen following a minimum-length stay on the injured list. The 28-year-old should be a candidate for holds during the final week-plus of the regular season, while most of the save chances will likely go to Abner Uribe until Trevor Megill (elbow) returns. Jose Quintana (calf) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Expected back Wednesday
Rotowire
Manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that he expects Mears (back) to return from the injured list Wednesday, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
Lingering back tightness sent Mears to the injured list in early September, but he now seems to be ready to return to Milwaukee's bullpen without embarking on a rehab assignment. The 28-year-old righty owns a career-best 3.42 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 52.2 innings on the year, and he'll likely be used in high-leverage situations with Trevor Megill (elbow) is still on the shelf, although Abner Uribe remains the top option for save chances.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Completes bullpen session
Rotowire
Mears (back) threw a 17-pitch bullpen Friday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Friday's session marked Mears' first time throwing off a mound since being placed on the injured list in early September due to back tightness. The 28-year-old is scheduled to throw another bullpen Sunday. He's eligible for reinstatement Wednesday.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Back to throwing
Rotowire
Mears (back) played catch from 105 feet Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The right-hander landed on the shelf last week due to back tightness but wasn't shut down from throwing for long. Mears will be eligible to be reinstated Sept. 17, and the Brewers are targeting that date or shortly after for his return from the injured list.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Placed on IL
Rotowire
The Brewers placed Mears on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Sept. 2, due to back tightness.
Mears hasn't pitched since he allowed three runs in one inning against the Phillies on Monday, and it's now known he's been dealing with a back injury. The 28-year-old joins Trevor Megill (elbow), Grant Anderson (ankle) and DL Hall (oblique) as Brewers relievers on the 15-day injured list. Milwaukee recalled Carlos Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Earns first save of career
Rotowire
Mears earned the save in the Brewer's 6-5 extra-innings win over the Reds on Saturday despite giving up two runs (one earned) while striking out one batter in the 11th.
With closer Trevor Megill being deployed in the 10th inning, the Brewers called upon Mears to protect the Brewers' three-run lead in the 11th. Mears gave up an unearned run on an Elly De La Cruz sacrifice fly before yielding a solo homer to Noelvi Marte one batter later, but Mears managed to secure the save by getting Matt McLain to fly out to center field. Mears has given up four runs (three earned) over his last two outings and has a 5.59 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 9.2 innings since the All-Star break.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Good to go Monday
Rotowire
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that Mears (back) will be available for Monday's game against the Cubs, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
Mears tweaked his back prior to his relief appearance in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Marlins, but after resting up during the final two games of the weekend, the veteran reliever looks like he'll be ready to go for Monday's series opener. The right-hander heads into the contest having logged one win and 13 holds to go with a 2.95 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over 45 appearances for Milwaukee this season.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Undergoing tests on back
Rotowire
Mears "wrenched" his back while warming up Friday and is getting imaging, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
The back injury may explain why Mears struggled in his relief outing Friday, as he gave up three runs (two earned) on one hit and two walks over two-thirds of an inning versus Miami. Though he decided to take the mound after hurting his back, the Brewers are concerned enough about the issue to send him in for testing. Mears has been one of the team's top setup men this season, notching 13 holds while posting a 2.95 ERA with a 34:7 K:BB over 39 innings spanning 44 appearances.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Returns from IL
Rotowire
The Brewers reinstated Mears (illness) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Mears missed a significant amount of time during spring training due to an illness, and he began the season on the injured list in order to regain his strength. After throwing 3.2 scoreless innings during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville, the 28-year-old righty is now ready to rejoin the Brewers' bullpen. He'll replace Connor Thomas (elbow), who landed on the injured list Tuesday.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Beginning rehab assignment
Rotowire
Mears (illness) was sent to Triple-A Nashville to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday.
Mears got a late start to the season due to an illness he caught during spring training that resulted in some weight loss. He's got his strength back now and should have a good shot to be activated from the 15-day injured list April 8 when first eligible.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Pitching in minors game Monday
Rotowire
Mears (illness) will make an appearance in a minor-league game with Double-A Biloxi on Monday.
Mears will close out spring training having made his last Cactus League appearance March 5, but the fact that he's pitching in minor-league games suggests that he likely won't be ticketed for a lengthy stint on the injured list to begin the season. The right-hander missed out on a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster after falling victim to a stomach bug earlier this month that resulted in him losing nearly 10 pounds and missing several workouts.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Opening Day not guaranteed
Rotowire
Mears (illness) may not be ready for the start of the regular season, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Mears returned to Brewers camp Thursday after spending several days fighting off an illness, losing nearly 10 pounds in the process. He made three appearances in the Cactus League before getting sick, but Hogg relays that it will be difficult for Mears to get all of his necessary work in before the end of camp.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Back in camp after illness
Rotowire
Mears is back in Brewers camp after battling a stomach bug that caused him to lose nine pounds, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Mears suspects he will need 4-to-5 days in order to regain strength before he's ready to get back on a mound. He's already made three appearances this spring, so he won't be starting from scratch, which should allow the reliever time to ramp back up fore Opening Day.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Dealing with illness
Rotowire
Manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Mears has been battling with an illness the past few days, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
The specifics of the ailment are unclear, though Mears appeared to be feeling a bit better Tuesday morning. With just over two weeks until Opening Day, the right-hander's availability could be in question depending how much time it takes for him to rebuild his strength.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Avoids arbitration with Milwaukee
Rotowire
Mears and the Brewers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $963,000 contract Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Mears began the 2024 regular season with the Rockies but was traded to the Brewers in late July in exchange for Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera. Mears made 11 appearances out of the bullpen for Milwaukee before going on the 15-day injured list in late August due to right forearm inflammation. He returned for the end of the regular season and appeared in Games 1 and 3 of the National League Wild-Card round against the Mets, during which he struck out three batters across 2.1 scoreless innings.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Could be activated Wednesday
Rotowire
Mears (forearm) could be activated from the 15-day injured list as soon as Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Mears threw a multi-inning simulated game Monday and came out of it with no issues. He's missed the last month of action with right forearm inflammation, but his activation appears imminent.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Scheduled for sim game
Rotowire
Mears (forearm) will throw a simulated game Monday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Mears has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 25 due to a right forearm strain. He's now poised to take the next step in his throwing program, and barring any setbacks, he could return to the Brewers' bullpen during the final week of the regular season. Over his 11 outings with the Brewers this season, Mears has a 6.75 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 10.2 innings.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Slated for bullpen session
Rotowire
Mears (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jack Stern of Brewer Fanatic reports.
As long as he gets through the session without any hiccups, he could then be cleared for a brief rehab assignment later this week. Mears has been out since late August with right forearm inflammation but appears poised to make it back for the final week or so of the regular season.
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Brewers' Nick Mears: Dealt to Milwaukee
Rotowire
The Brewers acquired Mears from the Rockies on Saturday in exchange for right-handers Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Mears will provide depth to a Brewers bullpen that has recently lost two key relievers in Rob Zastryzny (elbow) and Bryan Hudson (oblique) to injuries. The 27-year-old right-hander logged a 5.56 ERA in 45.1 innings with Colorado this season but has some encouraging underlying metrics, including a 3.00 xERA. The Brewers have a knack for getting the most out of underperforming pitchers, and it looks like they'll attempt to do the same with Mears.
