Article: Brewers Pre-Memorial Day Status Updates: The Starting Rotation

[Harold Hutchison]

The starting rotation was considered a strength of the Brewers going into spring training. If the Brewers were to do well, the rotation’s performance would be crucial. Well, the Brewers are sitting in first place right now, but their position is precarious. One reason is the state of the rotation.

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Major League Roster

Corbin Burnes is the only member of the Brewers rotation to have not spent time on the injured list in 2022 or 2023. In fact, in 2023, of the seven potential starters the Brewers were going to have, four (Brandon Woodruff, Adrian Houser, Aaron Ashby, and Wade Miley) have spent time or are currently on the IL, and Woodruff and Ashby are on the 60-day version, with Jason Alexander, an emergency fill-in in 2022, joining them. Miley and Woodruff were pitching well when they were suddenly sidelined, and both are missed sorely, especially with the team’s offensive struggles.

The good news is that Burnes is pitching a bit more like Burnes, after a rough start. Colin Rea has been called up to take a spot again, and he’s been a gritty competitor. Freddy Peralta has also kept the Crew in games, notching quality starts, even if he isn’t at 2021 or 2022 levels. Adrian Houser has been solid and keeps the team in games, as he has since he came up for good. That said, Eric Lauer has struggled this season, mostly due to giving up a team-high 13 gopher balls.

40-Man Options

At this point, the only starter the Brewers have left in the depth chart on the 40-man in Janson Junk, who got lit up in one start, but who has been solid in Triple A since then. Junk was part of the return for Hunter Renfroe in an offseason trade.

In The Minors

Other options at Nashville include Robert Gasser, acquired in the infamous Josh Hader trade, who is also putting up decent numbers. Thomas Pannone and Pedro Fernandez are putting up good numbers and could be called up if absolutely necessary.

In Biloxi, the Brewers have some young guns in Justin Jarvis and Carlos F. Rodriguez, while Brandon Knarr and Adam Seminaris have struggled a bit. Knarr’s regression (after what looked like a breakout 2022) is a concern. Tobias Meyers has been solid for the Shuckers in 2023.

The Timber Rattlers also feature some promising prospects, with Tyler Woessner breaking out as the ace of the staff. Stiven Cruz, Cameron Waggoner, and Alexander Cornielle have all struggled in the early part of the season, while Joseph Hernandez, acquired in the Kolten Wong deal, has been solid, if unspectacular in Appleton.

In Carolina, Jacob Misiorowski has drawn the attention with his pure stuff, even though his numbers look rough as he is slowly being brought along. However, while Misiorowski has wowed on the MLB Pipeline and the Brewer Fanantic prospects lists, Will Rudy, Patricio Aquino, Yujanyer Herrera, and Alexander Vallecillo have all been pitching lights-out ball.

Overview

At the major-league level, the Brewers have been through a gauntlet of lost time and inconsistent performances. Hopefully, the team can get at least Woodruff and Miley back relatively soon. In essence, the rotation has been patchwork, but has done well enough to keep the team in first place. Hopefully, the team can hang on long enough for Woodruff and Miley to return. Otherwise, it may be time to look at acquiring some help.

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