Jake Cousins

After a promising rookie debut in 2021, Cousins was expected to be a key part of the Brewers' late-inning mix. Unfortunately, the right-hander made just eight appearances last April before suffering a UCL injury in his right elbow that sidelined him for nearly three months. Cousins opted against undergoing Tommy John surgery and instead received a PRP injection before beginning his rehab program. He reached the final stage of his recovery in late July and spent the next month on a minor-league rehab assignment before he was activated and subsequently optioned. Cousins returned to the Brewers in September and made four more appearances to bring his total to 12 on the season, covering just 13.1 innings. The 28-year-old has tremendous upside (13.5 K/9 over 43.1 big league innings) and could play an important role for Milwaukee in 2023, but is one of the riskier late-round darts due to the possibility of re-injury.