Milwaukee Brewers: Does Adrian Houser Have An Injury?

The Milwaukee Brewers have dealt with numerous injuries in their starting rotation this season and it appears they now have another one.

Adrian Houser was pitching well on Tuesday night against the Cardinals before the Milwaukee Brewers young hurler exited earlier than most would’ve thought. He went five innings, gave up just one run, and finished with 74 pitches. Houser should’ve had at least one more inning in him, but was removed after five.

Now, it appears that was due to an injury.

The good news is, the Brewers don’t believe it’s a serious injury. But the caveat that the injury “is a concern” is, well, concerning. The starting pitching depth has already been tested too much and if Houser is down for, even a short IL stint, it could be even more devastating to the Crew’s playoff hopes that are getting slimmer by the day.

How Was Houser Pitching?

Houser started the year out of the bullpen and pitched extremely well, which earned him some starting opportunities. His first few starts did not go well, but he turned a corner as of late. Including Tuesday night, Houser has allowed only four earned runs over his last four starts.

He had been turning into one of the team’s best starting pitchers with Brandon Woodruff still on the shelf.

How Could This Impact The Rotation?

Ideally, Houser won’t miss a start, but if he does, who could take his place for a spot start? One option is Drew Pomeranz, who spent most of the year as a starting pitcher for San Francisco could be an option as an opener for a few innings.

Another option is Aaron Wilkerson being called up from Triple-A to make a spot start or two. Perhaps Freddy Peralta could be an option, but he’s mostly been relegated to relief duty in the second half of the season.

One out of the box option is Trey Supak being called up from Triple-A to make his big league debut. The Milwaukee Brewers have shown they’re willing to go with their young prospects this season with Trent Grisham, Devin Williams, and especially Keston Hiura playing big roles.

What About Brent Suter or Jimmy Nelson?

In an ideal world, one of these two starters would take Houser’s spot in the rotation, but it’s not likely that they’re ready quite yet. Jimmy Nelson has looked better in his last few outings in Triple-A, but is probably only a relief option the rest of this season.

Brent Suter could take the spot, but he’s going to need one or two more rehab starts down in Triple-A before he gets called up, so he’s not ready yet either.

Houser’s injury further complicates the Brewers rotation picture. It’s not serious, but it is concerning, which leaves the team in a weird limbo situation as they await more information. This is definitely a situation to keep an eye on.

The Milwaukee Brewers have their playoff hopes dwindling by the day in a very important stretch in the season. They can ill afford to lose another starting pitcher.