FEBRUARY 9: Skipper Craig Counsell implied Ashby was unlikely to be ready for Opening Day when speaking with reporters this evening (via McCalvy). Noting that the current soreness was related to the issue that affected him late last summer, Counsell said the southpaw “had to take a pretty big step back as far as rest.”
FEBRUARY 8: Brewers lefty Aaron Ashby will be behind schedule this spring as he’s dealing with shoulder fatigue, general manager Matt Arnold announced today (Twitter link via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). The team didn’t provide a timetable for when Ashby might be ready, but it’s a suboptimal start to the talented southpaw’s 2023 season.
Ashby, 24, opened the 2022 season in the Milwaukee bullpen, made a pair of spot starts in April and had forced his way into the rotation by late May. Through the season’s first two months, the 2018 fourth-rounder had pitched 40 innings of 2.70 ERA ball with a 29.8% strikeout rate.
After a shaky three-start showing in June, however, Ashby hit the injured list due to inflammation in his left forearm. He returned after a minimal two-week absence but was placed back on the 15-day IL in late August, this time due to inflammation in the same left shoulder where he’s now experiencing fatigue. Ashby did make it back to the mound in late September, when he tossed 11 innings with a 3.27 ERA and a 10-to-4 K/BB ratio in his final four appearances.
On the whole, Ashby’s first full big league season resulted in 107 1/3 innings of 4.44 ERA ball with a strong 26.5% strikeout rate, an elevated 9.9% walk rate that he’d surely like to pare back, and a massive 56.9% ground-ball rate. The Brewers, undeterred by Ashby’s June injury, signed the lefty to a five-year, $20.5MM contract extension in late July. The deal contains a pair of club options that can push the former top prospect’s guarantee to $40.5MM, plus a series of incentives and escalators that can bring the deal to a maximum of $53MM over a seven-year term.
Based on that investment, the Brewers clearly feel that Ashby can be a part of the team’s rotation over the long haul, but his current injury status clouds that outlook in the immediate future. Milwaukee already had a crowded rotation that might’ve left Ashby on the outside looking in, as Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer and veteran Wade Miley give the club a solid quintet on which to lean this year. Right-hander Adrian Houser gives them a sixth strong option, too, even with Ashby sidelined to begin camp.
Uncertainty surrounding Ashby makes the Brewers’ rotation depth all the more critical. After the club signed Miley, it seemed safe to wonder whether the out-of-options Houser might emerge as a trade candidate, given both his $3.6MM salary and his ostensible drop to seventh on the rotation depth chart. Such a scenario seems less likely now, although Milwaukee still has further depth options on the 40-man roster, including Bryse Wilson (also out of minor league options), Jason Alexander, Janson Junk, Ethan Small, Gus Varland and Tyson Miller. Non-roster pitchers in spring training include righty Colin Rea and prospect Robert Gasser, acquired from the Padres last July.
It’s also fair to wonder whether any questions surrounding Ashby’s shoulder will prompt the Brewers to look for some further left-handed help. If the plan was to begin the season with Ashby in the bullpen, thanks to the veteran quintet ahead of him on the rotation depth chart, then a potential trip to the injured list for Ashby leaves Hoby Milner as the Brewers’ only lefty in the bullpen. There are several notable lefty relievers available in free agency, however; Andrew Chafin, Matt Moore, Brad Hand, Will Smith and Zack Britton are among the many yet-unsigned relievers with considerable big league experience.
This doesn’t sound good. It almost sounds like Flaherty with the Cardinals last year. He is only 24 and he is still having shoulder soreness months after the season?
darn. sounds like TJS is forthcoming
Maybe rotator cuff too?
Truly idiotic statement.
I’m offended as a PT.
You know NOTHING about the human body OR his condition.
He may just need time off and some strengthening.
How did you become a sociopath?
We all know how you became a moron.
A petty taint?
I know, right?! He could have parasitic worms in his shoulder and a good dosing of Ivermectin could clear it right up!
PT stands for Piece of Trash.
That’s a truly idiotic comment.
As a PT, I can tell you know nothing about the human body.
This just reminds me of how much of a horse Nolan Ryan was. You see the number of innings these guys throw and the toll it takes on them. I’m sure Ashby will be fine, but fatigue is very common.
Oh oh…looks like they might need Houser after all, although Miley could work, too.
It’s pretty awesome to see the quality depth the Crew has assembled, certainly when injuries pop up. More are sure to come, but it’ll be exciting to see how some of these newer or relatively unknown (to us) guys perform this spring. It’s in the 40’s in Wisco today, and pitchers/catchers are getting ready to report. Great time of year! So much hope!
Aw man hope he recovers enjoyed watching him pitch against the Dads
Good thing he signed the long term deal
Good for him, bad for Brewers. They are already stuck with Yelich until 2028.
Fatigue is meaningless.
Don’t know what team you’re a fan of, but stop trolling here.
No one wants to hear your constant stream of negativity.
A longterm deal for a prospect, covering all his arby years and option years after, for 20.5 million is a risk small market teams should make. Lots to come yet for him but worse case scenario is we are out 20.5 million. Not a bad deal even if it doesn’t pan out (it will).
no need to hurry him back on the plus side, but wouldnt mind seeing some more lefty help being acquired… guess we will see what kinda spring alex claudio has
Steer clear in fantasy
Dumb.
Brewers better get their pitching straightened out. It is all they have.
terrible 5 year signing
Worse opinion by you.
Idiotic.
No biggie. Take care of it now. Probably just needs rest and conditioning, though he could probably stand to use an off season soon to put on a little more muscle.
You should know, you’re a PT.
He has some filthy stuff and not even in his prime yet. Hopefully he can fully blossom into his potential.
“Right-hander Adrian Houser gives them a sixth strong option, too, even with Ashby sidelined to begin camp.”
No!
“Right-hander Adrian Houser gives them a sixth strong option too, even with Ashby sidelined to begin camp.”
Yes.
We’ll see how worried as a fan to be about this soon. Teams will have the 60day IL abilities soon. They add Ashby to it this is more serious, if not he’s simply starting behind schedule from Catchers-Pitchers reporting to Opening Day.
As a fan it’s really none of your concern OR none of your business. Get a life if worrying about sports is a burden to you (and you have no other burdens in life).
You and others have speculated wildly and all have a bug up your butts about something MINOR.
It’s not going to lead to surgery, as some ridiculous morons have asserted.
Freddy went through this a bit too in his career. It’s one thing for big burly dudes like Corbin and Woody to throw 95+.
It’s quite another when guys like Freddy and Aaron throw 95 plus at 4 inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter. It’s more stress. It can lead to fatigue.
The Crew have one of the best medical staffs in ALL of sports.
It’s why they are giving him rest and rehab to nip it in the bud now.
And we hope have been trying to build muscle mass in the off season to prevent it in the future.
“The Crew have one of the best medical staffs in ALL of sports,”.
That is a pretty baseless statement. I would like to know how you determined that. Being a small market, low budget team I doubt they would have one of the best in baseball, let alone all of sports.
If you knew anything about the region, you’d know that the Froedert Medical College IS one of the most widely respected in all of sports and because of that the Bucks and Brewers BOTH are considered to have top 3 medical staffs in their respective sports (which is ALL of sports, since I don’t count Hockey!). Jabari Parker’s remarkable recoveries from 2 ACL surgeries were due to that. Stearns took health WAY more seriously than most GMs and rested players and went to a 6 man rotation before ANY teams ever did. That’s all because of his medical staff (who also bring players back more slowly from injury). As a PT myself, I have the highest regard for them and THAT is how I determined it. I actually know some of these people personally and their credentials and minds.
Unlike someone like you who is no doubt a 3rd shift assistant manager at a Kwik Trip.
Additionally, not only is UW Madison a top 5 university in the entire nation, it’s ranked as the 20th best Med School in the country, though various sources rank it in the Top 5).
Chafin a good quality bull pen arm was out there and signed with Arizona for a very cheap contract, if Brewers were looking to strengthen their bullpen, why didn’t they at least look at this guy? Seems like Milwaukee M.O find everyone else’s cast offs on the cheap expecting lightning in a bottle.