Brewers sign lefty Justin Wilson, but he won't be able to pitch until July

PHOENIX – The Milwaukee Brewers added a much-needed piece to their bullpen Saturday when they signed left-hander Justin Wilson to a one-year deal with a team option for 2024.

But there's a catch: The 35-year-old is only halfway through his recovery from Tommy John surgery, leaving him unavailable for the start of the regular season and several months beyond.

"Typically it's a 12-month, back-to-the-mound-type recovery, so we're looking at likely July," general manager Matt Arnold said. "But a long track record of being successful in a lot of different markets, so we like the chance for him to impact our team positively in the second half."

Wilson pitched in five games last season for the Cincinnati Reds, logging a 2.45 earned run average and seven strikeouts over 3⅔ innings before undergoing surgery June 3.

Wilson has a long track record of success as a reliever when healthy and over 11 seasons with six teams has compiled a 33-24 record, 3.41 ERA and WHIP of 1.29 while striking out an average of 9.8 batters per nine innings.

"It's power. He comes at you with power from the left side, and it's pretty good," Arnold said of Wilson, whose four-seam fastball averaged 95.1 mph last season in his brief tenure with the Reds. He also throws a cutter and a slider.

"Before he got hurt last year he showed some flashes of being really, really good. All the reports we got on him physically were really good and the reports on his makeup are tremendous, so we're excited to have him.

"I had a good conversation with him the other day, and he's excited to be a Brewer."

The Brewers had only one true left-handed reliever in its bullpen before the Wilson signing, Hoby Milner, with Ethan Small potentially remaining in a relief role after switching over from starting late last season at Class AAA Nashville.

Former Brewer Alex Claudio is back in camp on a minor-league deal as well.

To clear space for Wilson on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jason Alexander was placed on the 60-day injured list with a rotator cuff strain.