Brewers righty Jason Alexander is expected to miss more than a month to begin the season, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link). The 29-year-old righty experienced discomfort in his shoulder when he was ramping up for spring training last month, and he’s likely to be sidelined into the second half of May. Alexander becomes the second Brewers pitcher who’ll miss substantial time due to shoulder trouble; left-hander Aaron Ashby will miss at least two months due to shoulder trouble of his own.
Alexander made his big league debut in Milwaukee last season, tossing 71 2/3 innings for the Brewers over the course of 11 starts and another seven relief appearances. He posted a strong 3.21 ERA over his first five starts before beginning to falter, ultimately finishing out his rookie campaign with a 5.40 ERA and a lowly 14.7% strikeout rate. Alexander’s 8.7% walk rate was generally solid, however, and he induced grounders at a strong 50.6% clip. The lack of punchouts and a susceptibility to home runs (1.51 HR/9) worked against him, but the righty had posted a 2.84 ERA in 63 1/3 Triple-A frames before being called to the big leagues.
Neither Alexander nor Ashby was guaranteed a rotation spot heading into 2023, but their absences will thin out Milwaukee’s depth a fair bit. It’s not clear whether the Brewers knew the full extent of either player’s shoulder issues when signing Wade Miley to a one-year deal last month, but what was once at least a somewhat surprising deal for a pitching-rich club could now prove pivotal. Regardless of whether Miley’s addition was made with the knowledge that Ashby and Alexander were ailing or whether it’s mere serendipity, the Brewers are surely glad to have the veteran southpaw on the staff.
The Brewers’ rotation heading into 2023 will feature Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer and the aforementioned Miley. Righty Adrian Houser, a rotation staple the past couple seasons, is still on hand as a sixth option, but both Ashby and Alexander would’ve also been starting candidates in the event of injuries elsewhere on the staff. Trade acquisition Janson Junk, prospect Ethan Small and DFA reclamation Bryse Wilson give Milwaukee further depth, though Wilson is out of minor league options and isn’t necessarily a lock to make the Opening Day roster.
I thought he was a Yankees exec…
Scott – It’s not an injury, if you believe you’re Cal Ripken.
I don’t know about that but a shoulder injury sounds like Cashman’s kinda guy.
He’s got a bed under his desk and everything, so that might explain the shoulder problem
Nice thing is despite the injury we can still have the summer of George
Now keeper of the pole in the crawl space.
Sweet fancy Moses!
Having a shoulder injury will at least allow him to remain master of his domain.
Okay you win
He showed Jeter and Bernie Williams a thing or two about hitting. But he did put them in that Ramada in Milwaukee, so there’s that.
If only this were The Summer of George
Shouldn’t he march into Mr. Steinbrenner’s office? Plus, playing baseball has helped restore his hair and slimmed him down quite a bit!
I hear he’s been talking to a Mets executive. They’re not talking…
I bet it has something to do with the cotton uniform he was wearing….
Maybe the Yankees need a Jon Voight day. So far Hal has given us John Voyt day.
I bet its Lloyd Braun’s fault
Ryan Braun
Seinfeld reference
Yes. I was joking.
Gotcha, my b
At least he’s not unemployed and living with his parents.
Set Back took place as a result of 2022 Festivus celebration !!
Arbitration is just Airing of Grievances.
Pushing too hard with the Feats of Strength
Someone call Dr. Wexler.
Is it lupus?
All right. I guess he’s just going to have to pick himself up, dust himself off, and throw himself right back down again!
Pretty obvious that Burnes will get the blame for both Ashby and Alexander issues along with the playoff miss last year.
I blame Jason Alexander for missing the playoffs
That’s okay, Michael Richards will be called up in his place, though he’s been known to be erratic at times.
ironically, this is the best brewers news all week…
I’m actually happy with this news
He wasn’t the master of his domain because he didn’t have man-hands
I guess he’s going to be able to himself a “Summer of George” then!
George is getting upset!
The sea was angry that day…
Probably would have helped if he didn’t treat his body like an amusement park.
I think this is the winning George Costanza reference! Good work my friend.
He can always get into latex sales…
My calendar used to have “Pitchers & Catchers Report to Spring Training” this week but over the years I changed it to “Pitchers Placed on the Injured List” this week.
Maybe he should have just done the opposite of whatever he did to get hurt.
It’s a shame it wasn’t season ending, but at least we won’t have to see him pitch until at least June. Hopefully never. Probably the worst starter in Brewer history!!
he needs to be released asap
And think he could have been an Architect or a Marine Biologist!
He was almost Head of Scouting for the Mets, but there was no meeting.
Or City Planner
Don’t mind me just here to check out all the Seinfeld related replies 🙂
Jerry I tell ya’, it’s the shoulder Jerry, it’s the shoulder!!
I came here for the Britney Spears’ ex-husband related replies. Extremely disappointed.
Stearns: and you wanted to be my swingman.
Oh…so you want to shaft Burnes-y? OW…my shoulder.
He’ll be back in time to start the Summer of George
So many Seinfeld references… I don’t get any of them because I couldn’t stand that show. I was peer pressured into watching a few episodes… “It’s hilarious, you have to watch it.” It was painful to watch.
It was a show about nothing.
Oh, well, so what? Laughter – what is that? I mean, what is the point of opening your mouth and going “Ha, ha!”? What is that? “Ha, ha!”?
Genius
Yada, Yada, Yada…..and his shoulder was injured
Ok, I’ll accept that, but if you don’t find Curb funny, you’re just wrong and I can’t relate to you.
They should probably make sure it is a real shoulder injury and he wasn’t just shrugging his shoulders at something stupid being said.
Well, at least they eliminated the shift, so he’ll know if it’s a move.
Say Vandelay Industries!!!
And you want to be my latex salesman?
He was in the pool!!…
He was injured in a high speed motorized wheelchair chase.
Serenity now!!
Summer of George is in jeopardy.
Ashby and Alexander have a history of arm issues, these are the two guys you hope to replace Burnes, and Woodruff, when the team dumps them for monetary reasons, good luck with that.