Milwaukee Brewers: When will Gio Gonzalez return to the rotation?

The Milwaukee Brewers have been without Gio Gonzalez since he suffered a ‘dead arm’ period in late May. Could Gonzalez return to the Brewers before August?

Cobbling together a rotation of struggling veterans, inconsistent prospects, a legitimate All Star, and the surprising Zach Davies, it’s a surprise to find the Milwaukee Brewers as high in the standings as they are. The team could also get a boost to their rotation with the return of lefty Gio Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is set to begin a rehab assignment with the High-A Carolina Mudcats on Wednesday. How long until he makes his return to the Milwaukee Brewers?

Will Gonzalez need a lot of starts to work his way back?

Pitchers can stay on rehab assignments for up to 30 days. Rehab assignments can only be extended if a pitcher is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Gonzalez will probably need at least four starts to build his arm strength back up, but the Milwaukee Brewers will have at least 30 days before they’re forced to make a decision.

How long Gonzalez stays in the Minors depends on how well he pitches, and whether or not the Brewers want to make a change. If Adrian Houser continues to struggle, Gonzalez could return sooner rather than later.

How was Gonzalez doing before the arm issue?

Gonzalez was one of the most reliable starters in the Brewers’ rotation when he went down.

Gonzalez made six starts for the Milwaukee Brewers and managed a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings. He struck out 26, walked nine, and gave up two homers. It’s important to remember that his numbers are skewed by a rough start against the Minnesota Twins before he landed on the Injured List. Gonzalez gave up two runs or fewer in each of his first four starts.

Starting pitching has been a sore spot for the 2019 Milwaukee Brewers. Other than the efforts from Brandon Woodruff and Davies, Gonzalez was the team’s most consistent starter. Jhoulys Chacin, Chase Anderson, and Freddy Peralta have eaten up innings, but they’ve all struggled this year. Houser was solid in relief, but isn’t the same in the rotation. The Brewers need greater consistency out of their rotation, and Gonzalez delivered a boost before he went down. The hope here is that he can return to form, and provide similar innings for the stretch run like he did in early May.