Chad Patrick is off the Brewers' World Series roster, and Brandon Woodruff will take his place. The switch puts Woodruff back on the roster after he has not pitched in a game in almost four months.
That is why Patrick is being searched now: he was on the Brewers' roster for the NLDS and NLCS rounds, yet he did not appear in any games during either round. For the World Series, though, the Brewers made a different call and left him off the roster entirely.
The move matters because it changes only the makeup of the World Series roster, not the path Patrick took to get here. He was included when the Brewers advanced through the NLDS and NLCS, but that earlier selection did not carry over into the series that follows.
What the club did not explain is why Patrick lost the spot. The roster decision leaves one clear fact in place: the Brewers chose Woodruff over Patrick for the World Series, even though Woodruff has been out of game action for almost four months.
That is the part that now hangs over the roster move. Patrick made the earlier postseason groups and stayed unused, but the final roster for the World Series left him out, and the reason for that swap is still the question that matters most.
