New Brewers reliever Mitch White has been racking up the frequent-flier miles of late

Frequent-flier miles?

Mitch White has done quite well in that department the past few weeks.

"Racking them up," the Milwaukee Brewers' newest reliever said with a chuckle Saturday before his latest team's matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Since April 20 the right-hander has gone from the Toronto Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants to the Brewers in a flurry of cash-related deals. He officially joined Milwaukee's roster on Saturday, with right-hander Kevin Herget being optioned to Class AAA Nashville.

"I got DFAd from Toronto probably three weeks ago," White recounted. "Went (home) to San Diego in the interim and just kind of worked out. Throwing there, working out a little bit, playing catch with my buddies on the beach. Got picked up by San Francisco, was there for a couple weeks. Got DFAd in Philly a week ago and then back to San Diego.

"Same spiel, then got on a flight early morning yesterday and came here."

White, 29, was a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and a highly rated prospect during his time with that organization.

He also put up decent numbers in 38 appearances (14 starts) over three years in the majors, going 3-5 with a 3.58 ERA and WHIP of 1.20 before being traded to the Blue Jays in August 2022.

In 24 outings (eight starts) for the Blue Jays things didn't go nearly as well for White – 1-6, 7.26, 1.69 – and a reunion with the Giants (11.81 ERA in 5 ⅓ innings over three relief stints) paved the way for his latest opportunity with the Brewers.

"It was just one of those things," White said of his short stay with the Giants, the team he grew up in nearby San Jose, California, rooting on. "They needed guys to cover innings and I was the guy on a certain day and unfortunately it didn’t go great and I got bounced.

"No hard feelings. That’s just the game. That’s how it goes."

White utilizes a four-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball, sweeper, curveball and slider and will be expected to provide length out of the bullpen for the time being. With 22 starts under his belt the potential always remains the Brewers could look at him in that capacity once he stretches out a bit.

But first things first.

"I’d love to start, always," he said. "But it’s more kind of getting back into that length as well because it’s been seven days since I’ve thrown. Haven’t really been in a major-league clubhouse feel for a while.

"So for me, it’s about getting my feet under me and kind of building up from there."

White will become the 39th player utilized by the Brewers whenever he makes his debut, and the 23rd pitcher.

"He’s been around the block," manager Pat Murphy said. "The organization, like they’ve done so many times, has deemed him as a guy that can (contribute). I think we’ll see what we have. He’s basically been at home, so he hasn’t gotten to throw that much competitively.

"We’re kind of assessing where he’s at. We’re vulnerable."

White is out of minor-league options, so in order to stick he's going to need to prove he can perform. The opportunity begins with getting another look at the major-league level – something he will never take for granted.

"That’s the coolest thing," he said. "As long as I get an opportunity to play it’s a beautiful thing. (The uncertainty and bouncing around) is not ideal for sure, but it’ll be fun to get to know everyone and get rolling here."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers' Mitch White with 3rd team in 2024 after Blue Jays, Giants