The Brewers are expected to promote the chances of getting results Robert Gasser in the majors, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The left-hander will start tomorrow’s game and will make his first appearance in the big league. He is currently not on the 40-man roster, so the Brewers will need to find a way to add him.
Gasser, who turns 25 this month, was selected by the Padres in the 2021 draft. They drafted him out of the University of Houston in the Competitive Balance Round B, with the 71st pick. About a year later, he came to the Brewers with a 2022 deadline deal that they had posted Josh Hader to San Diego.
The Padres had him in High-A at the time of that trade, but the Brewers let him go to Double-A and Triple-A not long after. He finished 2022 with a 3.94 earned run average in 137 innings. He struck out 29.7% of the batters he faced while giving up walks at a 9% clip.
He spent all of last year with Triple-A Nashville, throwing 135 1/3 innings in 26 outings with a 3.79 ERA. He struck out 28% of batters who came to the plate while giving up free passes just 8.4% of the time.
The left-hander could be in contention for a trade to start the season but did not play at the end of March due to a sprained left elbow. He didn’t make his first Triple-A start of 2024 until April 24 and has now taken the ball three times, throwing four outings each time. He hasn’t been very sharp, allowing six walks and four homers in his 12 innings, but he has struck out 17.
Despite his name, Gasser doesn’t beat power hitters, mostly sitting in the 89-93 mile per hour range with his fastball. But he has a four-seamer, a two-seamer, a cutter, a slider and a changeup, which allows him to keep batsmen off balance. Baseball America ranked him the club’s #5 prospect coming into the year while FanGraphs had him at #8 and Keith Law of The Athletic at #7. The MLB pipeline currently has him in the #5 slot.
The Brewers have been dealing with various moving parts in their rotation since late last year. Brandon Woodruff he needs shoulder surgery and will miss most or possibly all of the 2024 season. Corbin Burns was traded to the Orioles at the start of the season. Since the start of the season, Wade Miley required Tommy John surgery while DL Hall again Jacob Junis they also entered the list of injured.
On top of that injury, Freddy Peralta will miss one chance per round. He was handed a five-game suspension for his part in the brawl between the Brewers and Rays a week ago. He first appealed the decision to suspend him and then took the ball against the Ntwana on Sunday, before he started serving his sentence on Monday.
Gasser’s promotion may be temporary to cover for Peralta. But at least for now, he’ll jump into the rotation nearby Bryse Wilson, Colin Rea, Joe Ross again Tobias Myers. Myers has a 6.23 ERA in three starts and could be demoted to Gasser’s place, especially if things go wrong when he takes the ball against the Cardinals tonight.
Even if Gasser could be selected after just one outing, opportunities could open up later in the year. Ross will likely reach his workload limit at some point as he has missed the past two seasons while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. In general, injuries to pitchers are inevitable, although Milwaukee should also have Hall and Junis out of the IL later in the year.
Time will tell how much time Gasser spends in the majors in 2024. But for now, it’s a happy day for the young southpaw, who will take the ball tomorrow at American Family Field against the rival Cardinals.
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