The Milwaukee Brewers kicked off a long day of baseball with some concerning news.
Before Saturday’s doubleheader in Pittsburgh, the Brewers announced they placed left-hander Kyle Harrison on the 15-day injured list with left forearm tightness. In a corresponding move, left-hander Robert Gasser was recalled from Triple-A Nashville.
Harrison, 24, told reporters after Wednesday’s start that he had been battling discomfort on the outside of his left elbow for the last couple of weeks. His velocity declined a bit during the outing, and he sat in the 92-94 mph range in the final inning of what was a 70-pitch performance.
Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in February, Harrison has been having a breakout first season with the Brewers, going 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA and 101 strikeouts over 83.2 innings. The left-hander has struggled in his last two starts, however, allowing six runs over 6.2 innings.
Harrison said Saturday morning that he is still “not too worried” about the injury. His arm is already feeling better than it did after Wednesday’s start, though he plans to take a few days off from throwing. He was not previously scheduled to pitch again until after the All-Star break.
Since Harrison’s IL placement is retroactive to Thursday, he may end up missing only one start before being eligible for activation. During this extended rest period, Gasser will presumably take his spot in the rotation.
Gasser, 27, has made eight starts for Milwaukee this season, posting a 4.15 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 40 strikeouts over 43.1 innings. The left-hander was recently called up to serve as the Brewers’ 27th man for Tuesday’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals. He started the second game and allowed two runs over a career-high 7.2 innings before returning to the minors.
With the All-Star break beginning Monday, Gasser could be available to work in long relief over the final three games of the first half before moving into the rotation. The Brewers plan to start Brandon Sproat and Shane Drohan during Saturday’s doubleheader before Jacob Misiorowski duels rival ace Paul Skenes in Sunday’s series finale.
