The Brewers have placed left-hander Aaron Ashby on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 20, with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Righty Jason Alexander was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take the vacated active roster spot.
It’s the second time this season that Ashby is headed to the IL due to an arm problem. He was diagnosed with forearm inflammation in mid-June but only missed a couple starts, making it back to action when first eligible in early July. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets the club is confident his shoulder issue will also prove to be minor, although it’s not clear precisely when he’s expected to make his return. At the very least, he’ll be out until the first week of September.
A former top prospect, Ashby has logged his most extensive big league action to date in 2022. He debuted with 13 appearances (four starts) last season, and he’s gotten the start for 17 of his 23 outings this year. His results have been up-and-down, as he owns a 4.58 ERA across 96 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing southpaw has shown plenty of promise, though, racking up an enviable pairing of strikeouts and ground-ball numbers. He’s fanned 27.1% of opponents while inducing grounders on over 55% of batted balls, the only starter (minimum 50 innings) with that combination. The Brewers were intrigued enough by Ashby’s nearly unique skillset to look past his spotty control and sign him to an extension last month that guarantees him $20.5MM and could keep him in Milwaukee through 2029.
Obviously, the 24-year-old is a key piece of the organization’s long-term future. The more immediate concern is that the Brew Crew will have to go without a rotation member for at least the next couple weeks. Milwaukee has slumped to a 7-11 record in August, dropping five games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central entering play Monday. They’re a game and a half back of the Phillies for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with around six weeks remaining in the regular season.
The only joke is Castansa is pitching against the Dodgers in LA. Ouch. Maybe it will rain out…
Things are looking pretty grim in Milwaukee. But if there’s one team in this league that I wouldn’t count out in a fight, it’s the Brewers.
I sure hope they have fight left in them. After 4 years of winning close games and making the postseason, it’s flipping the other way.
They are the embodiment of their manager: a full-time pain in the a$$ who kills you with a thousand tiny cuts instead of one mighty blow. A team’s team.
Yeah…I gotta be honest, looking at the standings was a bit jarring for me as I have such complete faith in Counsell to get the most out of his team that I was surprised how quickly they’d fallen off.
A 12-18 stretch and then a 18-12 stretch by the Cards and…well, you lose 6 games.
But I’m only now starting to get SLIGHTLY nervous. I still remain confident that once the Sept expanded roster opens up and we get Ruiz up, in addition to Frelick the day after tomorrow(I guess just tomorrow now as it’s the 23rd)…we get Houser back…I feel pretty good.
Hiura is hitting, Yelich is…getting on base. Jace on is on his way back. Turang, Mitchell could help out. Cousins, Topa are rehabbing along with one of the most dominant closers in recent memory in Rosenthal.
AND Matt Bush, Rogers and Williams have looked really good. If Cousins can come back and be a middle reliever, Rosenthal late inning match up guy, Holby Milner, I feel good.
It’ll take some timely hitting and maybe Adames to regain his 2021 form, Urias to pick it up a bit, Frelick to have one of those great starts, but these’s still a reasonable chance with Burnes/Woodruff/Peralta/Lauer that this team gets in and makes a run.
Rosters only go up by one these days, so 28 I believe. A lot of guys would have to be sent down to bring a bunch of new guys in. With most of the team hitting .220, it may be worth the risk.
Not this year…
All the little things gone wrong and our prospects are still just a LITTLE earlier for Burnes/Woodruff.
What did they know about Hader?…
I’m sure they saw something in his mechanics. My novice eyes couldn’t see that, other than he was bad. Bummer too because he blew five games before getting dealt. They would’ve traded him in the off-season instead and they would probably be even with the Cardinals now. He was lights out up until the meltdown.
Seems like he’s having release point issues. Plus the SD Union Tribune had an article about him possibly tipping pitches. Rough times.
I don’t think he’s tipping pitches.
Here’s the article:
sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2022-…
That would actually make the most sense. You get into your head when you’re throwing the ball and instead of just letting it go, you’re almost aiming it.
When you see the guy throw a 98 MPH fastball with movement and then you see he’s giving up runs, you have to think it’s a mental issue.
As I said, he’s had personal problems that are MUCH bigger than baseball. He also loved Milwaukee(as I think any prospect who spends 5 EXTREMELY successful years in the organization you came up with and go to 4 playoffs would) and he’s kinda thrust into this new situation with all the Soto excitement.
He’s probably just pressing. I KNOW it’s not a matter of him losing his stuff. And I think he started pressing before he left, but it kinda came and went. Like the last time he threw vs the Red Sox, he looked as good as ever. 3Ks in an IP, made the Sox look like fools and it seemed routine.
I hope he thrives in SD. I don’t like rooting for players I liked to fail because WE trade them(or even if they just decide to play elsewhere).
I also love the pitcher we got back for him in Gasser. He’s been outstanding to watch. Haven’t caught Ruiz…because I haven’t really tried, but his chase rate and all the other peripherals look legit. So I’m sure the PCL inflated his numbers, but he looks like a stud.
But I am confident that Hader will be back and he’ll be great.
The dude plays around the edges all the time and drives you crazy in close games. He’ll load the bases with walks and then strike out the side. I don’t know what it is, either he doesn’t have control to throw strikes or is afraid to pitch to contact, but if would just throw the heater down and away, then come back with a change or curve to switch up speeds every now and again, he’d have batters guessing or trying to catch up to that 98mph heater. But there is talk he takes a super deep breath before the fastball, so there may be something to the tipping notion.
The breathing thing was mentioned in the article I tried to post. It’s “awaiting moderation” for some reason.
Hader has had an exceptional run with this current strikeout Era. Guys can’t help but swing for the fences. I’ve always wondered if a team just held the bat on the shoulders if Hader could strike out 3 before walking 4. He’s not a guy that fills up the zone. There’s a reason they didn’t bring him up as a SP, he’d have been awful walking batters and reaching just 5IP.
That’s just not true. He came up and he was SOO good when the Brewers were really almost going without starters, that they didn’t need him to start. Plus they had Burnes, Woody, Peralta, Lauer, Houser among others in the rotation.
He always threw strikes when he needed to. He can throw his slider for strikes when he needs to, he can throw that FB when he needs to. He’s just so deceptive that he gets a lot of chases.
He was just more valuable to the Brewers throwing 2-3 innings a couple times a week, coming into the biggest spots in the lineup.
I have no doubt he could have starters and been a Chris Sale type starter had the Brewers not been flush with starters.
Summer of George part III
I heard he’s donating half his salary to The Human Fund.
At this point, SD should give his entire salary to the human fund. Festivus is right around the corner…
When does Houser return? That may help.
Should be fairly quickly now with Ashby out. I think he’s on his third minor league start.
Sounded like Houser is in LA and might pitch this series. At least I think that’s what the announcers said an inning or so ago.
Keep dreaming.
About what? Dude was in the dugout and the 2 Jeffs (Levering and Cirillo) said all signs pointed to him pitching on Wednesday.
As far as it “helping”..that depends on his performance, and of course expert fan interpretation.
Just one of those we’re going to skip a start or 2 and want that spot for a RP. September is closing in just in time to return with the roster expansion.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the Brewers’ collapse. From four games up to 5 GB in three weeks! 2-7 versus Cubs, Pittsburgh & Cincinnati in that time. Despite Hader’s woes in SD, you don’t trade your top of the line closer in the middle of a pennant race! (Could have waited until winter.) That affects your clubhouse (supposedly a Brewers’ strength?) and the fan base. Let’s face it, the defense is also below average or average at best aside from Wong, Renfroe, Adames, McCutchen, and maybe Taylor/Davis. Urias just doesn’t seem to be a smart ballplayer in many situations between the lines. Whether it’s baserunning or defense.
On top of that, this team strikes out too much (doesn’t make CONTACT!) in key situations and relies too much on the home run. (See the 10th/11th inings- 8/16 LA game where Caratini bailed Counsell out) Then add in the typical mistakes by Counsell, Stearns & Lane. Yet somehow, there are many Brewer fans here who are fooled into thinking bringing up more high whiff power hitters from down on the farm will be the answer this year and in the future. Hopefully, this is the last season of this rerun.
I had the same thought as everyone else when the trade happened, that it was bad timing regardless of the standings, Hader’s recent struggles, and anything else..however, with his continued issues and being removed from the closer’s role “for now” it makes me wonder if Stearns didn’t actually get in front of a lengthy meltdown that would have resulted in not being able to get much of anything back come winter.
Think about it, he struggles the rest of the year, they can’t get decent return in a trade, AND they’d have to pay him ~$15mil next year. That’s obviously worst case scenario, but its 1 that could have been a motivating factor.
It’s just too bad some of his former teammates have either struggled in new roles or are too emotionally affected by it to keep performing.
Stop giving Stearns so much credit! He didn’t get in front of anything regarding Hader except a better chance at a playoff spot with him.
I think Hader’s issues are mainly mentally and probably tipping his pitches. None of us know what he and his wife MAY have gone through during her pregnancy and the birth of their child. I’d still rather have him in the Brewer pen than Rogers. Then again, does it really matter since Counsell wears out his bullpen every season anyway.
Dump Counsell, Stearns, & Lane. And send BA packing too. I’d much rather listen to Rock & Levering or Ueck.
I think we share the same thoughts about the offense. I’ve never seen a team that is sorta in contention bat so poorly. It’s downright shameful, and for the front office and Counsell to sit back and do basically nothing about it is mind boggling. I keep an eye on the MLB game day app and watch the pitch by pitch when I can’t actually watch games. To see the stuff they swing at, and then the stuff they whiff on is just outrageous. Right down the middle and they completely miss. Then they swing at high stuff, completely out of the zone. They are all up there guessing. Not one of them is locked in and seeing the ball well from one day to the next.
This writer clearly is forgetting about Adrian Houser when he says that going without a rotation member, who was likely going to be sent to the bullpen upon Houser’s imminent return, is an “immediate concern.” Milwaukee’s rotation is about to be at full strength again.
Keep dreaming … “that Houser may help.”