Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
When the Milwaukee Brewers acquired Robert Gasser in the Josh Hader blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres, they were expecting big things from him.
The pitcher was a top prospect in the Friars farm system and seemed destined to be an ace for the Brew Crew.
Fast forward almost two years, and they will have to wait a while longer for this to come to fruition. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported on Thursday that the 25-year-old Gasser has opted to undergo elbow surgery.
It’s not yet known whether Gasser will undergo full Tommy John Surgery on his UCL. But it seems to be trending in that direction with Dr. Keith Meister performing the operation. It’s his speciality. Rosiak went on to note that Gasser is expected to miss at least a calendar year.
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Long-term, it sucks. Milwaukee has high expectations for the former second-round pick out of Houston. Gasser made his last appearance back on June 1 against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched to a 2-0 record with a 2.57 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in five starts before going down.
Remember, Milwaukee traded ace Corbin Burnes this past offseason. Fellow starter Brandon Woodruff is also on the shelf for the 2024 campaign.
This season has seen the likes of Colin Rea (3.29 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), Freddy Peralta (4.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) and Tobias Myers (3.26 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) headline things.
Despite heading into MLB games today with a 44-30 record and in first place in the NL Central, this has to be seen as concerning. Expect general manager Matt Arnold to addres the Brewers rotation via the trade market.