Milwaukee Brewers Pitching Injury Updates: Who’s Returning, and When?

If you’re a pessimistic fan, this season is already an abject disaster. There’s a decent amount of truth in that dour outlook, too. Milwaukee is two games below .500, six games behind the division-leading Cubs, and struggling to play competitive baseball. If you’re an optimistic fan, you might believe things can’t really get any worse from here—and there’s also truth to that.

One of the biggest factors that has hamstrung this team is their litany of pitching injuries. It was already a plague that dragged the team down last season, but somehow, they found a way to cruise to the playoffs undaunted. This year, it seems to be hurting double. The silver lining is that muscles, tendons, and ligaments do eventually heal, so the Brewers should be getting back at least some of their arms to help give the team a fighting chance for the remainder of the year. Here’s a closer look at where each of their injured pitchers currently stands, and when we can expect them to return.

Brandon Woodruff (shoulder surgery)
Woodruff has been out of the game for what feels like forever and is on the cusp of returning to the Brewers rotation. Even his rehab process has taken quite some time, starting his first rehab assignment on April 12 and bouncing between Triple-A Nashville and High-A Wisconsin. He was originally expected to return sometime this month, but in yet another stroke of bad luck, endured another injury.

He has made some adjustments to his pitching style, and despite a slight dip in velocity, he has put up great numbers in the minor leagues. He has a 2.25 ERA over 20 innings with the Sounds and a 2.70 ERA over 9 ⅔ innings with the Timber Rattlers. Given the newest issues with his ankle, it seems like the organization isn’t exactly rushing him to get back, but both he and the team are looking forward to seeing him return to action.

Nestor Cortes (left elbow flexor strain)
Cortes was only able to make two starts before hitting the shelf with elbow discomfort that arose during a bullpen. Originally placed on the 15-day IL, he was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 21. Recovery for these injuries is often slow, and although he resumed playing catch a few weeks ago, he won’t be back for a while.

This flexor strain is the same issue that kept him out of much of the Yankees’ 2024 postseason run, and it’s unclear whether this instance of the injury is a re-aggravation of that or if it’s a separate case altogether. Brewers fans have already seen two versions of Cortes, and if he doesn’t return until around the start of the second half, he’ll only get a few starts to correct his reputation and statline.

Jose Quintana (left shoulder impingement)
Quitana was off to a great start with the Brewers, posting a 2.65 ERA over 34 innings, but felt some shoulder pain after his outing against the Rays on May 9. The severity of the injury is still a matter of some debate, but the team seems to believe that it isn’t as serious as it might sound. A relatively short IL stint is expected, and he threw a bullpen on May 20, with another session scheduled for Friday.

Aaron Civale (left hamstring strain)
Civale made it just three innings before being sidelined by injury. He was placed on the 15-day IL on March 31, and hasn’t toed a big-league mound since. Luckily, he began a rehab assignment with the Sounds on May 8, and has pitched nine scoreless innings across two outings. He was scheduled to make his final start of the assignment on Wednesday, but was a last-minute scratch. No reason for the change was made public, but given how good he has looked, there is a possibility that he’s returning to the big-league squad sooner than expected. The Brewers have yet to announce a starter for Thursday night's series opener in Pittsburgh.

Aaron Ashby (right oblique strain)
Ashby still hasn’t gotten a chance to pitch in the regular season this year, after suffering an oblique strain in spring training and a setback the first time attempted to return. He began his rehab assignment on May 6 with the ACL Brewers and started a more robust assignment with the sounds on May 10. He has pitched to a 1.50 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP over 6 Triple-A innings.

When he does finally return to the major-league roster, it has been said that he’ll be used primarily as a long reliever, an apt role for a pitcher with his qualities.

DL Hall (left lat strain)
Hall is another pitcher who has seemingly met roadblock after roadblock. Because of persistent injuries, he has only pitched a total of seven starts and 43 innings as a Brewer since joining the team prior to the 2024 season. He was placed on the 60-day IL on March 5 and began his first rehab assignment of the year on May 2. He has looked good thus far, conceding no earned runs in his 10 ⅔ innings.

Like Ashby, he’s slated to be a long reliever when he returns to the team, which should be soon after he’s first eligible to be activated from the IL in late May.

Robert Gasser (Tommy John recovery)
After a strong freshman campaign that saw him pitch to a 2.57 ERA over five starts, Gasser quickly ran into elbow trouble that required going under the knife. Given the typical timeline of Tommy John surgery, he probably won’t be able to return until much later in the season, potentially around September, and he has plenty of rehab and ramping up in front of him before he does.

Connor Thomas (left elbow arthritis)
How cursed are the Brewers when it comes to injuries? Well, how often do you hear of a 26-year-old with arthritis? April 8 was the first time I heard of it, after it caused Thomas to be placed on the 15-day IL. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 18th. He has received injections for his elbow, but there’s no clear timeline for his return.