After being rejected by a historic loser and nearly walking away, the resilient lefty found new life in Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching lab to finally prove he belongs.
Going through the trials and tribulations of professional sports is never easy, especially for a guy like Shane Drohan who bounced around quite a bit before settling into the Milwaukee Brewers.
Drohan has started just two of the 12 games he's played in Milwaukee, but the Brewers took a chance on him and that's all he asked for.
In a recent interview with Fox6 News Milwaukee, Drohan received a question from a fan that asked the simple question, "what kept you going?"
Drohan on Nearly Quitting Baseball
"I always believed in myself but the whole Rule 5 situation, when the White Sox kind of just sent me back to the Red Sox, that was hard to swallow," Drohan said.
Remember, if a team does not put its Rule 5 draft pick on the Opening Day roster, then they are sent back to the team that drafted them.
Drohan continued, "That was the worst team in the history of baseball. I mean, let's just say it like it is. That was the worst team ever and they didn't even give me a chance. I was really thinking about being done in that moment.
"I was really, really like leaning into kind of just being done," Drohan recalled thinking after he had a week at home once he was put on waivers. "If I can't make that team, I don't know if I'm going to be able to make any team."
Shane Drohan Is Better Than Ever
While he hasn't settled into a full-time role in the Brewers' starting rotation, the 27-year-old has done everything in his power to make the most of this moment. After years and years of waiting to make his big-league debut, Drohan finally did so on April 8, 2026, for the Brew Crew.
Drohan's minor-league journey was tumultuous, to say the least. He pitched on four different teams in 2024 and had to work his way through left shoulder nerve decompression surgery that same year.
No matter how little that dreadful Chicago White Sox team thought of him, Drohan has found a new home in Milwaukee, a team that has a "pitching lab" that churns out players like him left and right.
After just his second start on Monday, June 1, Drohan sports a 2-1 record with a 2.87 ERA. His WAR sits at 0.4 and he has two holds and a save to go along with his two starts.
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