Photo via DL Hall - Instagram
DL Hall
DL Hall
A collection of unexpected contributors has done a remarkable job keeping the Brewers alive in the NL Central race while they dealt with a wave of pitching injuries, but some of them are coming up on the end of their window to turn this audition into a permanent role.
The first piece of good news on the rehab front came on Sunday, when DL Hall had a successful first appearance with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Hall only pitched one inning in his first game action since going on the injured list with a left knee sprain in April, but retired the side in order on eleven pitches and reported no issues. One significant and encouraging development from this outing was Hall’s velocity: It had dipped to around 92 mph in his major league outings this spring but peaked at 95 on Sunday, still slightly below his 2023 average but closer than it has been.
There’s some question about what happens next for Hall, as the timeline he laid out for reporters after his outing on Sunday doesn’t exactly match what Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters on Friday. Hall said he’s expecting to move his rehab to AAA Nashville and continue ramping up there, while Murphy said Hall would remain with Wisconsin before potentially joining the Brewers as a multi-inning reliever while he builds back up. Either way, his path back to the majors is underway.
Hall, however, is not the only member of the Brewers’ Opening Day rotation who could return soon. Jakob Junis logged just one start during the season’s first week before going on the injured list with a shoulder injury, then suffering a setback when he was hit by a ball during batting practice later in the month. As of Saturday, he was on pace to resume throwing off a mound this week, which would put him on pace to go out on a rehab assignment soon. He’ll likely need some time to build back up, but it’s possible he could slot back into the rotation sometime in the second half of June.
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For Hall and Junis to slot back into the rotation, however, two current members would likely need to come out. That’s likely not great news for the pitchers who have experienced some significant success in their places:
- Joe Ross is pitching in the majors for the first time since 2021 and has pitched at least five innings in his last five outings. He has a 3.38 ERA in May, with opposing batters posting just a .226 on-base percentage against him in those outings. His 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings are below the NL average but he’s been steady and reliable.
- Bryse Wilson has been good in all roles for the Brewers over the last two seasons but even better as a starter this season, where he has a 2.20 ERA across six outings. Wilson will walk some batters and his peripheral numbers suggest he’s been fortunate at times, but he looks like someone who can pitch in this role.
- t’s hard to imagine a significantly better start to an MLB career than what Robert Gasser has experienced. He’s allowed just one run across eleven innings in his first two big league starts, both Brewers wins. The only thing to pick at from his early work is a lack of strikeouts: He’s punched out just six batters across eleven innings, but his AAA data (where he’s struck out 11 per nine across three seasons) suggests that’s not a long-term issue.
