Brewers Lefty Faces Tough Path to Rotation After Poor Season Debut

Will there be another start on deck?

May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser (54) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Every chance in the majors is an important one for a Triple-A pitcher, and Robert Gasser failed to seize one of those chances on Sunday.

Making his season debut for the Milwaukee Brewers, Gasser allowed three runs, two of them earned, in a 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins. He was only able to get through four innings, as it took him 40 pitches to get through the first, and he hit three batters while walking two more.

“Five free bases in four innings, that’s not it,” manager Pat Murphy said, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “He knows better, and hopefully it’ll be better.”

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Where Gasser stands in Brewers' rotation picture

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Robert Gasser (54) stretches in the outfield during spring training workouts Sunday, February 15, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gasser was recalled to make his season debut on Sunday, just ahead of the finale of the Twins series, because the Brewers were playing their sixth game in six days. They weren't looking to have rookie righty Brandon Sproat, who will start on Monday against the Chicago Cubs, throw on four days' rest.

That means it's entirely possible Gasser could be optioned right back to Triple-A, as Milwaukee expects Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison to follow Sproat in Chicago, while Logan Henderson and Coleman Crow were the other two starters this most recent turn through the rotation.

The Brewers have no probable pitchers yet listed for their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. It would seem that Gasser would be behind Chad Patrick, who was recently moved from the rotation to the bullpen, on a hypothetical Brewers trust chart.

Brandon Woodruff should also be able to make his return from the injured list relatively soon after working through shoulder inflammation.

Before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024, Gasser looked like a rookie on his way to locking down a spot in the Brewers' rotation for the long haul. Since then, he's been thrust into a crowded mix of pitchers roughly his age who could earn one of those spots with consistency.

What the Brewers saw from Gasser on Sunday was just about the polar opposite of consistency. That doesn't bode particularly well for his chances at breaking through.