Milwaukee Brewers Pitcher Aaron Ashby Shut Down For 2 Weeks With Oblique Injury

The second opinion Aaron Ashby got on his recent oblique strain came back more favorable than the first, so the Milwaukee Brewers left-hander only expects to be down for two weeks before building back up as a starter.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby (26) pitches in the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby has been shut down for two weeks, the pitcher told reporters Friday.

Ashby was diagnosed with a right oblique strain earlier this week after leaving Monday's spring training game against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning. He went back for a second opinion on his MRI results, which he said wound up being a more favorable than the first.

"It actually doesn't hurt that bad," Ashby said. "I'm able to cough, sneeze – the things that people say should hurt don't, which is good news. We're just gonna take these next two weeks to let everything calm down and then get a foundation of rehabbing everything and then go from there."

Brewers P Aaron Ashby says he’s going to take the next two weeks to let his oblique heal. He will resume throwing and build back up after that👇

“We’re going to take these next two weeks to let everything calm down.” pic.twitter.com/90qEoV7WOX

— Hunter Baumgardt (@hunterbonair) March 7, 2025

Ashby went 1-2 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.059 WHIP, 10.5 strikeouts per nine inning and a 0.2 WAR in 2024, starting twice in 14 appearances.

The southpaw was coming off a lost 2023 season, which he missed while recovering from shoulder surgery. Between 2021 and 2022, Ashby went 5-12 with a 4.47 ERA, 1.367 WHIP, 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.8 WAR.

Ashby, who turns 27 in May, entered camp competing for a spot in Milwaukee's starting rotation. While the club signing veteran southpaw Jose Quintana on Monday suggested that Ashby would be bumped to the bullpen, he said Friday that he will start building back up as a starter once his two-week rest period is over.

That timeline could make it difficult for Ashby to return prior to Opening Day, which is less than three weeks away. As a result, Ashby could start the regular season on the injured list, then join the Brewers as a sixth starter behind Quintana, Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale and Nestor Cortes when he fully cleared.

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