Robert

Gasser

Misiorowski’s role heading into the postseason remains a bit unclear following his late-season struggles. However, the hard-throwing 23-year-old and fellow former top prospect Robert Gasser are expected to factor greatly into Milwaukee’s pitching plans with veteran Brandon Woodruff (lat) out of the mix. Jose Quintana, Quinn Priester and Chad Patrick are also on the roster as starting options in the best-of-five series against the division-rival Cubs. The other notable development is Andrew Vaughn getting the nod with Rhys Hoskins being left off the roster entirely.

The 26-year-old southpaw also walked two batters on the night while striking out three. He pitched his way into and out of trouble in each of the first two innings but wasn’t able to do so in the third. There, he hurt himself by throwing away a comebacker as he tried to nab Noelvi Marte at first base. The inning spiraled from there as Miguel Andujar doubled and Sal Stewart smacked an RBI single. Gasser then issued a walk to Tyler Stephenson before exiting — and all three of his inherited runners scored against the Brewers’ bullpen. He finishes the season with a 3.18 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and a 5/4 K/BB ratio over 5 2/3 innings in two appearances with the Brewers. His struggles on Saturday could factor into a decision to keep Gasser off of the Brewers’ roster for the start of the postseason.

Gasser, whose last MLB appearance prior to Tommy John came on June 1, 2024, was apparently told to plunk Iván Herrera in the first, and then Herrera came back with a two-run homer in the third for the only hit Gasser allowed. Gasser wound up striking out two and walking two. He settled for three misses on 14 swings over 45 pitches. He will have one more appearance, either as a starter or a long reliever, to make a case for a spot on the postseason roster.

It’s a massive development for the playoff-bound Brewers with manager Pat Murphy adding that Woodruff has been diagnosed with a moderate strain and that it’s too early to determine his postseason availability. The 32-year-old veteran will undergo further evaluation after suffering the injury earlier this weekend during a routine bullpen session. He’s in clear jeopardy of missing the playoffs with his potential absence likely thrusting some combination of top prospect Jacob Misiorowski and left-handers Robert Gasser and Jose Quintana (calf) into a more prominent roles at the outset of October behind Freddy Peralta and Quinn Priester.

Gasser misses enough bats to be of interest for fantasy purposes, but he hasn’t worked past three innings in any of his minor-league outings since August 29. The 26-year-old former top pitching prospect has been sidelined for more than one year recovering from Tommy John surgery and will be making his first appearance back in the big leagues since last June. There’s some streaming appeal in deeper mixed leagues as a low-upside strikeout source in a favorable road tilt at Busch Stadium.

With the top spot in the National League locked up it sounds like the Brewers just want to give each of their starters an extra day of rest heading into the final week of the regular season. Gasser has been working in 2-3 inning stints while finishing up his recovery from Tommy John surgery, so he shouldn’t be expected to work much longer than that on Sunday against the Cardinals.

Gasser will likely be a rotation candidate next spring, but if he’s going to contribute this month, it’ll be as a middle reliever. He has a 3.38 ERA in 18 2/3 innings over five outings since joining Triple-A Nashville.

Gasser remains stationed on the doorstep of the majors after wrapping up a minor league rehab assignment following his return from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old southpaw was a notable pitching prospect prior to the extended absence and could make an impact for Milwaukee at some point over the final four weeks.

Gasser has spent the last month in the minors rehabbing from Tommy John and allowed a total of three runs over 15 innings in seven appearances. The Brewers probably won’t have a lot of need for him down the stretch here, but he could be interesting if they suddenly deal with a rash of pitching injuries. He had a 2.57 ERA in nine starts before going down last season.

Gasser has a chance to make it back to Milwaukee’s pitching equation at some point in late August as he completes his lengthy rehabilitation process from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old former pitching prospect looked sharp in five major-league starts last year before undergoing the season-ending procedure in late June. He’s unlikely to make a significant impact for fantasy purposes down the home stretch, but he’s a name to know for next spring.