That brewer plan to enable left-handers Aaron Ashby to start tomorrow’s game, tweet Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Ashby went to the IL on August 22nd due to a shoulder infection and will now be returning after almost a month. The southpaw is unlikely to be initially signed up for extended service as he has not ventured into rehab. He spoke to McCalvy about the decision and said he’s been feeling good for the past few bullpen sessions and hit about 30 pitches.
The Brewers are in a tight postseason race and currently sit two games behind the Phillies for the final National League wild card with just over two weeks remaining in the regular season. Given that tight timeframe, the club appear to have opted to get Ashby back on the mound quicker than they would have been under other circumstances. With Eric Lauer and Freddie Peralta Having also landed on the IL in recent weeks, the club’s rotation has been a bit snake-like lately, which may also have motivated the club to get aggressive with Ashby’s return. Lauer and Peralta could also come back into play soon with McCalvy pass on that Lauer could return on Friday, albeit in a brief stint similar to Ashby’s. Peralta could be a little behind on those two as it just started hill work today.
In 96 1/3 innings a year, Ashby has a 4.58 ERA with a very strong strikeout rate of 27% and a ground ball rate of 55.6%. However, he was held back by a 10% walk rate and a 19.7% HR/FB rate.
More notes from the department…
- Just like the Brewers, the Boys will also be bringing back one of their starters for shortened work on the track. Meghan Montemurro from the Chicago Tribune passes on word from manager DavidRoss this right hander Keegan Thompson will be activated in the coming days to punch out of the bullpen. Thompson had a solid second performance here in 2022, throwing 104 1/3 innings so far with a 3.97 ERA, 20.5% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate and one ground ball -Rate of 40%. His campaign was cut short by lower back strains, which sent him to IL a month ago. With the season over and the Cubs well out of contention, they’ll have Thompson toss a bit more to big league levels before the offseason hits.
- left handed Sean Newcombdestined for assignment by the Cubs this weekend, has cleared waivers and was eligible for Triple-A, per Montemurro. That’s hardly surprising given that Newcomb already waived earlier this year and has an 8.78 ERA for the season. Players who were previously outrights or players with more than three years of MLB service are eligible to decline outright assignments and elect free agency. Newcomb qualifies on both counts, meaning he could go to the open market if he so chooses, although at this point it’s unclear if he has made a decision on that.