Milwaukee Brewers skipper Pat Murphy is steadfast in his decision he just made about Aaron Civale’s immediate future. 

“He’s got a right to feel how he wants to feel, Murphy said. “But now it’s time for him to go behave.”

These comments follow Thursday’s announcement that the veteran starter will be moving to the bullpen.

Civale was seemingly not happy with this news. 

The righty, who turned 30 on Thursday, did not take the demotion as a great birthday surprise, with Civale requesting a trade from the Brewers if he is not a part of the starting rotation. 

Murphy, however, told reporters that until then, he is going to pitch for the team. 

“He’s got to go pitch for us if we ask him to pitch for us,” Murphy said, “and I think he will”.

So far this season, Civale has posted a 4.91 ERA through five starts, the highest of the Brewers’ five starters.

Those struggles mean he became the one on the chopping block after Milwaukee promoting righty Jacob Misiorowski. 

Misiorowski, 23, is currently the Brewers No. 4-ranked prospect according to MLB.com.

Civale is in the last year of his contract with the Brewers, with his agent, Jack Toffey, saying that is a significant reason for the starter’s displeasure with moving to the bullpen.

From Civale’s perspective, his beef makes sense because MLB starting pitchers make more on average than relievers.

If Civale misses out on the opportunity to finish the season as a starting pitcher, it could cost him in free agency. 

The good news for Civale is that many teams are in need of starting pitching at the deadline.

Teams such as the Yankees, Cubs, and Twins might be in the market for a starting arm. 

That makes it easier for the Brewers to find a trade partner and Civale to get his wish. 

But for the foreseeable future, people will see Civale out of the bullpen.