Brewers shift Kyle Lohse from rotation to bullpen

The Brewers have decided to remove Kyle Lohse from the rotation and shift him to the bullpen, according to MLB.com. Tyler Cravy will take Lohse's spot in the rotation Friday against the Cardinals.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Kyle has done as a major-league player, for what he's done as a Brewer," manager Craig Counsell said, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "You don't want it to happen like this. But it was time that we think it has to be done.

"When you trade four players in 24 hours, it changed things. This is another step that's reflective of that."

The veteran right-hander Lohse has struggled all season, compiling a 5-13 record and 6.31 ERA through 22 starts. He is winless in his last five starts, going 0-4 with a 6.58 ERA in that span.

While Lohse has mostly been a starter in his MLB career, he does have some bullpen experience. He is 1-1 with a 4.28 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 24 career relief appearances.

"(The bullpen) is where I'll be residing for the time being, so we'll see what the options are," Lohse said. "All of that stuff is out of my hands. They've been good to me, stuck with me during a pretty tough year and gave me the opportunity to go out there every five days.

"It just didn't work out so we'll see what happens from here. There's all kinds of possibilities. We did talk about some options but I can't really talk about that right now until certain things happen. It's hang tight and I'll be in the bullpen for now."