When right-hander Ben Hendrickson struggled on the mound, the Brewers shipped him to Class AAA Nashville and promoted Chris Mabeus to take his spot.

Mabeus didn't even get a chance to struggle before he was sent back to the minors.

Fortunately for him, it's only temporary.

In a bizarre turn of events, the Brewers recalled rookie right-hander Carlos Villaneuva from Class AA Huntsville to replace Mabeus, who had just joined the club in Cincinnati today. A team spokesman said it was discovered that Mabeus, who was claimed on waivers from Oakland, was not eligible to pitch for the Brewers yet because of an obscure rule regarding the waiver/option process.

When the Brewers acquired Mabeus, they optioned him to Nashville. Baseball rules state that a player optioned to the minors must remain there for 10 days (unless there is an injury). Mabeus had only been in Nashville a week, so he will now go to Huntsville to pitch for three days and rejoin the Brewers when he is eligible.

In the meantime, the Brewers will use Villaneuva to give them protection in the bullpen. Villaneuva, who was acquired from San Francisco in an end-of-spring-training deal in 2004 that sent Leo Estrella and Wayne Franklin to the Giants, was 4-3 with a 3.52 ERA in nine games (eight starts) for Huntsville.

If he appears for the Brewers, Villaneuva, a 22-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, will be making his major-league debut. There was no word on whether Mabeus got to enjoy his proverbial "cup of coffee" before returning to the minor leagues. But, it appears that he'll be back with the Brewers before the weekend.