How has Aaron Civale fared since his White Sox trade? What about other recent ex-Brewers?

The Chicago White Sox have employed multiple ex-Milwaukee Brewers on the pitching staff this year, most notably Aaron Civale, the right-hander whose trade request gave the Brewers an unexpected jolt to their offense.

Civale, exchanged in June for red-hot first baseman Andrew Vaughn, has been strong in his past two starts for the White Sox, allowing zero earned runs and just six hits in 11 innings, though the White Sox lost one of those two games against the Chicago Cubs.

Civale has a 4.10 ERA this season with Chicago in eight starts, better than his mark with the Brewers (4.91) in five starts. His 1.320 WHIP is slightly better than the 1.364 he had this year in Milwaukee.

In 2024, Civale had a 3.53 ERA for the Brewers in 63 innings but found himself in a rotation crunch this season when the Brewers added Jacob Misiorowski to the big-league roster. That bumped Civale from a clear rotation spot and prompted the trade request.

Adrian Houser drawing interest at the trade deadline

Another ex-Brewer, Adrian Houser, was scratched from his July 30 start in anticipation that he would be traded. Instead, yet another former Brewers player, Tyler Alexander, was picked to take Houser's place on the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Houser has been excellent in 11 starts this year, with a 6-2 record and 2.10 ERA, plus a 1.223 WHIP. Houser has started 21% of the games Chicago has won this year, opening eight of the team's 39 victories.

Houser, who made 97 starts in Milwaukee over seven seasons, has never posted a WHIP or ERA this good over the course of a full season.

Shane Smith on the 15-day injured list

Shane Smith, a Brewers minor-leaguer last year who became an all-star after the White Sox took him in the Rule 5 draft, hasn't pitched since July 11 with a left ankle sprain.

The White Sox have lost Smith's last five starts, and he's seen his ERA inflate to 4.26 and WHIP to 1.304.

Willy Adames has been red-hot for San Francisco Giants

The rough start to the 2025 season is long past San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames.

Adames is up to a .740 OPS and 16 homers entering July 30 despite a batting average that lingered near .200 as of mid-June — he's up to .238 now.

In July, he's hit seven homers and had a 1.123 OPS, with a .429 on-base percentage.

Devin Williams has been solid for Yankees

Speaking of former Brewers who got off to a rough start in 2025, Devin Williams is up to 17 saves this year for the New York Yankees. He's only blown one save this year, on April 25, but has taken three losses; still, he's been steady since returning to the closer's role in June.

Thanks to an ugly opening to the year, he's still at a 4.69 ERA, but he's close to a career norm with his 1.116 WHIP. He's struck out at least one batter in 11 consecutive outings and 19 of 20.

11 other ex-Brewers who might interest you, including Josh Hader

• Josh Hader, Houston Astros. The all-star closer has a league-leading 28 saves and a remarkable 0.822 WHIP, his best since 2019. His ERA is 2.22.
• Eric Lauer, Toronto Blue Jays. The left-handed starter has been excellent this year, with a 2.68 ERA and a 0.945 WHIP. Lauer, who didn't pitch in the big leagues in 2024 after four seasons with the Brewers, has 75 strikeouts in 74 innings.
• Rowdy Tellez, Texas Rangers. After Seattle cut ties with Tellez, he landed in Texas, where he has a home run among his three hits in seven games and 16 plate appearances. He had a .682 OPS with the Mariners this year in 62 games.
• Brent Suter, Cincinnati Reds. The 35-year-old left-handed reliever is steady as always, with a 3.12 ERA in 49 innings with the Reds this year, plus a 1.102 WHIP that would be a career high over a full season.
• Colin Rea, Chicago Cubs. The Brewers saw Rea up-close in a win July 29 over Chicago. He's got a 4.25 ERA and a 1.311 WHIP with the Cubs.
• Orlando Arcia, Colorado Rockies. Up to 117 plate appearances in Colorado, the soon-to-be 31-year-old shortstop is struggling with a .475 OPS.
• Janson Junk, Miami Marlins. Another player the Brewers just saw up-close when the Marlins defeated Milwaukee on July 26. Junk has a 3.28 ERA in 12 games (seven starts), with a 1.077 WHIP, easily the best numbers of his career.
• Jakob Junis, Cleveland Guardians. The man who pitched Milwaukee's 2024 home opener has appeared in 40 games for the Guardians this season, with a 3.35 ERA despite a 1.419 WHIP. Junis had a 2.69 ERA and a 0.851 WHIP last season between Milwaukee and Cincinnati.
• Trent Grisham, New York Yankees. His otherworldly numbers from earlier this year have cooled, but he's still got a .798 OPS and 17 homers in 90 games.
• Hoby Milner, Texas Rangers. After four seasons in Milwaukee, Milner has gotten even better in Arlington, with a 2.17 ERA in 50 innings and 1.067 WHIP. He hasn't allowed a home run this year.
• Luis Urías, Athletics. He's a trade candidate for teams that need an infielder, though his OPS is just .670. He has eight homers in 291 plate appearances.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Aaron Civale, other recent ex-Brewers have fared in 2025