A's Add LHP Drew Rom Off Waivers From Milwaukee Brewers

The Athletics are adding another arm to their relief mix, looking for answers over the season's final seven weeks. On Tuesday the club announced that they have claimed left-hander Drew Rom off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 26-year-old made his MLB debut in 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals, then missed the 2024 campaign with left shoulder biceps tendinitis. He made a few appearances in 2025, but was placed on the IL in June and missed the rest of the season before electing free agency at the end of the year. 

He signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers in December, and was terrific for Triple-A Nashville, holding a 2.20 ERA (1.91 FIP) across 41 innings of work in 31 appearances. He held a 36.1% strikeout rate with a 6.5% walk rate. 

Rom was called up to Milwaukee back in June and made four appearances — including one in Las Vegas — giving up a total of two earned runs across 5 ⅓ innings. He also added an impressive 10 strikeouts in those four appearances. Rom would make one more appearance for the Brewers in July, getting one more out via strikeout. 

In the small sample size, Rom has a 40.7% strikeout rate in the big leagues this season, with a 14.8% walk rate. He doesn't throw hard, averaging 92.3 mph on his four-seamer, though that is up nearly two miles per hour since he last pitched in the big leagues in 2023. 

While he's still throwing the same four pitches that he was using the last time he was in the majors — four-seam, sinker, sweeper, and split-finger — this season with the Brewers he was concentrating more on the four-seamer. 

The usage of his four-seamer rose nearly 20%, up to 62.8% in his limited innings this season, while his sinker (17.7%) and sweeper (15.9%) accounted for most of the rest of his mix. The splitter's usage rate was cut in half to 3.5% in the process. 

Even with a heater that ranks in the 20th percentile in velocity, that four-seamer had a batting average against of .176, an xBA of .118, and a 45.5% whiff rate. 

Most importantly for the A's, his heat maps show that he has been able to consistently keep the ball down in the zone, which is something they have struggled with as a staff all season. 

After the A's bullpen meltdown on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, it wouldn't be surprising if some changes are coming to the roster to get some fresh arms in the mix.