One Way Milwaukee Brewers Could Manage Jacob Misiorowski's Workload with Minimal Impact

Jacob Misiorowski's workload is becoming increasingly concerning, given what he's been able to get through in previous seasons. As a general rule of thumb, teams don't like their pitchers to throw half again as many innings in one season as in the previous one, especially if the hurler in question is young and throws hard. After throwing 97 1/3 innings in 2024, Misiorowski already has 83 frames on his arm this season, and there might be 15 more turns through the rotation. Assuming a moderate five innings in each, that would push him past the 150-inning mark—before even considering what happens if the Brewers make the playoffs.

Taking a different approach, it's important to factor in that Misiorowski was far less efficient with his pitches in 2024, meaning that when he only threw four or five innings in a start, he was potentially in the 90-100 pitch range. In other words, although he's eating more innings in 2025, that doesn't necessarily translate to him throwing more pitches (although that will happen by the season's end, and comfortably so).

We also have to take into account the additional strain and mental fatigue of pitching in the big leagues, compared to toiling for the Biloxi Shuckers. It adds tension, and thus adds to the drain placed on his arm from start to start. With an arm moving as fast as Misiorwoski's, health is an absolute priority for the Brewers and there may be one way they can manage that pitch load even if it does present some additional risks.

With the upcoming All-Star break (and Misiorowski penciled in to start July 8 against the Dodgers), they could give him an extended break of up to 15 days to refresh himself and reset somewhat. The Brewers have an upcoming crunch of returns from the injured list, in Brandon Woodruff (this weekend) and hopefully Nestor Cortes after the break. They may need to resolve that logjam by the trade deadline, but in the interim, they can use their wealth of options to give Misiorowski time to reset in the middle of the season and slowly ramp up again. 

With multiple long relievers on their roster, they could build up again from a 2-3 inning pace toward a stretched-out five innings as you come into August. In theory, this could save Misiorowski from around 20 innings of pitching this year while keeping his arm fresh during the dog days, but it does present its own risks.

There's a reason we see the majority of long-term elbow injuries happen in the first month of the season. Stress on the elbow is heightened when the arm isn't accustomed to that stress. The question is, medically, whether a two- or three-week layoff for Misiorowski would completely unwind his arm, or whether he would still be considered "hot", for want of a better term.

The All-Star break presents the Brewers with the perfect opportunity to give Misiorowski a rest during what could be a career year. The questions are whether they feel they can afford that, and whether it's truly necessary. With Misiorowski looking so good, the other option is to simply let him pitch and be ready to take proactive action if and when he shows signs of wearing down.