Brewers place Josh Hader on paternity list, activate Chi Chi Gonzalez

The Brewers will finish out the Mets series without their closer as the Hader family welcomes their first child

The Brewers placed Josh Hader on the paternity list ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Mets. Hader is no longer with the team in New York and with his family for the birth of his first child.

Chi Chi Gonzalez, who was claimed off waivers yesterday, was activated in a corresponding move.

Hader is expected to miss three games, lining him up to return for the second game of the team’s next series against the Reds in Cincinnati.

In the meantime, Gonzalez will take his place in the bullpen. The 30-year-old has pitched primarily as a starter in parts of six major league seasons with uninspiring results. However, he has recently improved the shape of his slider, so perhaps the Brewers believe he can be a useful member of their pitching staff by adopting more of a sinker-slider approach.

If Gonzalez fails to impress, they can easily designate him for assignment. Whether he carves out a more permanent role or his time with the team proves to be short, he provides some length for a team that has dealt with some short starts during their recent skid.