Brewers Minor League Link Report (6/25): INF Ethan Murray Continues to Put 2024 in the Rearview Mirror; José Anderson is Maturing in Real Time

• 3B Brock Wilken was officially placed on the 7-Day IL by the Biloxi Shuckers (we know he is seeking second opinions on what was initially diagnosed as a dislocated knee cap)
• RHP Manuel Rodriguez was activated from the 7-Day IL by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• RHP Jesus Molina was activated from the Restricted List and placed on the 60-Day IL by the DSL Brewers Gold

Final: Nashville 7, Jacksonville (Marlins) 6

*As of the late evening hours the Sounds had not posted a post-game article. Feel free to check their website to see if anything is posted by Thursday morning HERE*

Box Score/Game Log

Game Notes

RHP Logan Henderson gave a solid if unspectacular effort working 5 2/3 IP of 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 2 ER ball. He would have completed six frames and had a mere two walks but SS Freddy Zamora committed a throwing error extending his final frame. Henderson walked the next batter and was pulled from the game. Thankfully RHP Blake Holub stranded both inherited runners. The Brewers are obviously taking it cautiously with Henderson given his injury history and wanting to monitor his innings. They're using his first option year and keeping an eye on his work with the Sounds - a more 'controlled' baseball environment; at least in terms of impact. One can't help but wonder, however, if Henderson is questioning why he isn't still at the MLB level given his tremendous start as a Brewer. Regardless, the swing and miss just wasn't really there today. 40 swings. Only six whiffs. Five of those came on sliders and cutters - of which he threw a combine 23 times in the 83 total pitches thrown. He once again leaned heavily on that four-seam fastball (averaging 93.6 mph and touching 95.2 mph) and change-up combination. At this point in time, in my humble opinion, there just isn't all that much to say about Henderson in Triple-A. We know he can mow down MLB hitters. We know this is a roster and innings game. Despite leaving the game with the lead and completing 5 2/3 IP, Henderson did not factor in the final decision.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Mr. Wonderful, C Anthony Seigler, is definitely still playing catcher. He is also, apparently (as Spencer recently noted) only batting from the left side. What an absurdly fun journey 2025 Seigler Watch (TM) has been. He's here. He's there. He's everywhere. Well, he's 2B, 3B, C, and DH. Let's not get ahead of...errrr...myself? 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI. He continues to be a staple in the heart of the line-up with his 0.287 BA and 0.910 OPS. I do wonder what the intent and follow-up conversation was after this LHP Tyler Jay game-tying pitch:

2) Let's talk about LF Tyler Black. It's time to give him some flowers:. In a 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB night at the dish it was his eighth inning opening walk that led to a key go-ahead run. Historically known as an elite pitch and strike zone identifier, it was awesome to see Black demand a strike. It was equally awesome to see him immediately swipe second base. He advanced to third base on a groundout. He scored the go-ahead run (at the time) on a force out. I've been critical of Black's overall contact quality for quite awhile - I think it's deserved given the caliber of the offensive talent we know is in that Tyler Black bag - but I will never be critical of a player impacting winning baseball games. I very much feel like we're in a 'baby steps' rebuilding program with Black. Every positive experience deserves recognition. 

3) RHP Craig Yoho - remember him? He picked up his fifth Save as a member of the Sounds bullpen. 19 pitches thrown. 11 change-ups. Six swings. Three whiffs. Only 10 strikes thrown with one wild pitch making it all just a little bit more intense. I think this was an outing indicative of Yoho's greater 2025: just not as dominant as 2024 but still mostly getting it done. Effective for the most part. Yoho stranded the tying runner at second base after said WP - after the two out walk that put him aboard. If you make a mess, clean it up. Yoho did just that by getting the final out on a swinging strike. Is Yoho ready for another call up? Yet to be decided. I personally think he needs to continue fine-tuning his control. Things are just a bit off. Regardless, we tip our cap for the Save. The Sounds evened the series 1-1.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) This is consecutive struggle-filled outings for RHP Bayden Root. What does this mean in the grand scope of a season? Yet to be determined. Coming into this two-game mini struggle, Root had been quite good out of the Timber Rattlers bullpen all season long. Today, his pitches were off as was his body language. He came aboard to try and protect a 6-2 Rattlers lead. 1 1/3 IP of 2 H, 4 BB, 1 HB, 0 K, 4 ER. 41 pitches thrown with just 19 strikes. Obviously the control wasn't there. But, and this was true in West Michigan as well, the off-speed location is what honestly concerned me the most. 

2) Root left with the bases loaded and one out. RHP Patricio Aquino was called on to try and put out his fire. Coming into the appearance, Aquino had not allowed a single run in eight appearances with the bases loaded in 2025. He had 3 strikeouts in that span. It was the right call to make. However, Aquino walked in the first run and added it to Root's tally. He gave up a sac fly and added it to Root's tally. He gave up a two-run double. Just like that, the Rattlers trailed. What's even more concerning in this case, however, was the fact Aquino left after a mere two pitches in the following ninth inning. He was in obvious discomfort and left the game immediately. This is always a concerning sign for a pitcher. Given the ongoing lack of depth amongst the Timber Rattlers pitching staf, Aquino's likely unavailability is going to have ripple impacts throughout the pitching staff. A tough outing got even tougher.

3) CF Yhoswar Garcia once again impacted the game in positive ways. 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 3B. Garcia's June, as a whole, has been nowhere near as impactful as his May but he appears to be getting hot once again. More over, he's causing havoc on the base paths and he's covering massive amounts of grass in center field. I don't know if Garcia's plate approach will ever work at the Double-A level. But, for now, I'm simply going to appreciate a young man who has found a groove in the Midwest League when he truly looked lost throughout April. 

Final: Carolina 5, Delmarva (Orioles) 4

Big Inning Propels Mudcats to Victory - Torres Earns First Low-A Win

Box Score/Game Log

Game Notes

LHP Wande Torres had several 2025 Wande Torres moments. The two wild pitches to the backstop come to mind. Randomly losing his location from time-to-time comes to mind. All this being said, Torres threw 73 pitches - his highest total of 2025. Now, it's all a work in progress: he landed 39 strikes. But in a 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 WP, 6 K, 1 ER line picking up a win in the process? I'm not going to belabor any of my points. This was a step in a good direction. I certainly hope it lasts. There are ample raw tools in Torres' toolkit it's a matter of refining and polishing all of them. Tonight, we celebrate the positive outcome. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) CF José Anderson will be lauded for this massive go-ahead three-run blast:

That was obviously a crucial 107 mph run-producing blast. However, in the line of development, I contend the ninth inning nine-pitch walk was even more impressive. Facing a reliever who had just mowed down Peña and Bitonti, a 24-year-old reliever in Ben Vespi who ultimately mowed down five in his 2 1/3 IP of work, Peña fought off several very tough pitches; laid off several inviting pitches; and worked an 0-2 count to a walk. If Anderson starts producing consistently for any meaningful stretch of time, I will absolutely remember that random ninth-inning walk June 25th at Delmarva. 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, and 1 HR is a heck of a clean-up line for the young Anderson. Let's hope he can keep some semblance of this going.

2) RHP Jose Nova is finally healthy. And, much like his collective lines over two seasons, he has a bit of an unbridled wild horse in his game. He can touch 94-95 mph with his heater. He has hard bite on his slider that is very much a strikeout pitch. Yet, there's not a lot of poise and precision in his game. Two failed pick off attempts led to throwing errors on his tally - the second of which would have surely caught the lead runner at second base before he ultimately scored. It isn't often I say I'm intrigued after a 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 E, 3 R (2 ER) outing. With Nova, I insist there's something there if he can find it within himself to calm down the rough edges. 

3) With RHP's Miles Langhorne and Jack Seppings now in the Timber Rattlers bullpen, I do not know what would become of the Mudcats bullpen if RHP Garrett Hodges is also plucked from their back end. Hodges was in clear control of his full arsenal during his crucial 2.0 IP of 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 SV work. It was night and day from both Torres and Nova. Hodges brought that veteran savvy in a much much needed spot. 31 pitches. 20 strikes. No real threats developed. That is the kind of shutdown work that gets you further noticed in the greater Brewers organization. At 22 years of age, Hodges is almost old for this Mudcats roster anyway - a hilarious comment to make. I've shone a light on Hodges underrated tools since his very first outing in the very first week of April. He continues to show he belongs. He will likely be pitching in the Midwest League at some point in the second half.

Final: ACL White Sox 13, ACL Brewers 7

Box Score/Game Log

RHP Miqueas Mercedes was back to his early-season form with a wonderful 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 9 K performance. He threw 64 pitches and 41 landed for strikes. He left by the fifth frame with his squad trailing 1-0 without a single hit. My how things changed from there. 19-year-old Venezuelan RHP Aldrin Gonzalez was just called stateside after pitching 5 2/3 innings in the DSL. I believe he may want his debut postponed to another evening via some type of baseball time machine: 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 HB, 4 WP, 9 R (6 ER). I think it's fair to say the White Sox broke things open in a DSL 2.0 style in that Arizona desert air. We'll just leave it at that - we shall see what happens once these debut nerves settle. The Brewers defense was also a wee sloppy: two errors and a passed ball. The bats did manage ten walks to just four punch outs. The Brewers were 2-for-8 with RISP while the White Sox were actually somehow 3-for-17 with RISP. C Kevin Garcia who saw six White Sox runners swipe bags successfully, hit a late three-run double in a 1-for-3 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B night at the dish. DH Pedro Ibarguen was the lone Brewers with multiple hits - 2-for-3, 2 R. If you care to peruse any more of the strange Carribean-style carnage just click that Box Score/Game Log link above.

The ACL Brewers fell to 20-19 with the loss. They are now third in the ACL Central. 

Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores
MiLB Audio Links
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth

Interested in learning more about the Milwaukee Brewers' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!