Robert

Gasser

Brewers manager Pat Murphy confirmed Tuesday that Gasser will miss 12-14 months after undergoing season-ending left elbow surgery earlier this week. The 25-year-old lefty is going to miss at least the first half, if not all, of the 2025 campaign as well.

The expectation all along was that Gasser was probably finished for the year, but the fact that he’s elected to undergo surgery — either a full Tommy John or less invasive internal brace procedure (A.K.A. the Seth Maness procedure) — following multiple medical opinions means he’ll miss at least the first half of the 2025 campaign as well. It’s a significant loss for Milwaukee’s starting pitching depth as he was just starting to establish himself at the highest level. There should be an exact timetable following next week’s procedure.

Gasser is going for a third opinion on the elbow after one recommendation for surgery and one against. We’ll probably know more later this week.

Gasser will visit specialist Dr. Keith Meister in the cominf days after a second opinion on his left elbow revealed durability issues with his UCL. It doesn’t sound like the 25-year-old rookie southpaw is dealing with a tear or serious damage, but there’s enough of an issue that it might be worth undergoing surgery now instead of the rest and rehabilitation route. There should finally be some clarity on his status at some point in the next week or so.

Gasser definitely has some damage in his elbow, but it sounds like the first opinion suggested rest and rehab. The highly respected ElAttrache saw things differently. There’s still a scenario in which Gasser comes back and contributes this season, but those who picked him up in mixed leagues can move on.

Gasser is traveling to receive another opinion on his elbow. The Brewers have Aaron Ashby and Tobias Myers up to act as maybe their fourth and fifth starters for now. Hopefully, Jakob Junis and Joe Ross will return in a couple of weeks, and maybe there’s a chance Gasser will be back then, too.

It’s an extremely encouraging development for Gasser as it means he’ll likely avoid an extended absence or potential surgery. However, he’s waiting for a second opinion before speaking to reporters. The 25-year-old rookie southpaw is dealing with elbow soreness and tightness, which will almost certainly send him to the injured list, but it doesn’t appear to be a worst-case scenario for now.

That suggests the first opinion wasn’t great. It’s possible this is related to the bone spur he dealt with in March. There were no problems reported for Gasser after his outing Saturday against the White Sox. He’s been looking like a keeper since getting the call last month, going 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five starts.

Gasser gave up seven hits — two of those homers — while striking out three and not issuing a walk. It’s a bit of a disappointing effort considering how bad Chicago’s lineup is, but credit to the 25-year-old for limiting the damage to just the roundtrippers. He’ll have a chance to lower his 2.57 ERA against the Tigers next weekend.

Gasser left the game in the seventh inning with two on and nobody. Reliever Bryan Hudson escaped the jam without any runs being charged to Gasser, who allowed only three hits and struck out seven. He lowered his ERA to 1.96 in four starts. Gasser has a SO:BB of 13:1 and 47 percent ground ball percentage. He’s certainly a promising rookie, though he’s probably due to give up some runs eventually as his xFIP is 3.99. The 24-year-old left-hander is set to face the White Sox at home this weekend.