Aaron Ashby reinstated from injured list, Carlos Rodriguez optioned to Triple-A

Finally, some good news on the pitching front for the Milwaukee Brewers. After missing nearly two months with an oblique strain, Aaron Ashby has been reinstated from the 15-day IL and will join the big league roster in Pittsburgh for the continuation of their four-game weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It wasn't clear how the Brewers would handle the returns of Ashby, DL Hall, Brandon Woodruff, and José Quintana, which are all scheduled to come at some point in the next few weeks. However, MLB.com Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy did shed some light on how the Brewers plan to use Ashby going forward, with a post on X from earlier this month.

Ashby has bounced back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation throughout his brief major league career. When he first burst onto the scene, back in 2021, it was as a starter, and one who seemed poised to become a star with impressive stuff and overwhelming raw talent. However, injuries reared their ugly head at the end of Ashby's sophomore campaign, and ultimately led to an arthroscopic shoulder surgery in 2023. He was forced to miss the entire 2023 season, and when he did finally return in early 2024, he was not the same pitcher that he used to be.

However, halfway through the 2024 season, the Brewers converted Ashby into a reliever down in Triple-A Nashville, and a new leaf was instantly turned over. Ashby dominated minor league opposition and earned another shot at the big leagues late last year. In 12 appearances out of the Brewers bullpen during the second half of last season, Ashby posted a 1.37 ERA. He covered 19.2 total innings and struck out a ridiculous 28 batters during that span.

After attempting to convert Ashby back into a starter during the offseason and him subsequently going down with an oblique strain, he now returns to the big league roster ready to make an impact out of the bullpen as a long reliever.

Carlos Rodriguez optioned to Triple-A Nashville

After an impressive performance in Thursday night's win over the Pirates, Carlos Rodriguez has been demoted back to Triple-A. Rodriguez pitched in a downpour, waited around during a rain delay, and then came back and covered 2.1 more innings for the Brewers in last night's game. He gave the bullpen a much-needed day off (other than Trevor Megill, who earned the save), by sticking out his performance despite Mother Nature's influence. However, with the increasingly crowded Brewers' pitching staff, Rodriguez's appearance essentially becomes a spot start (though it came in a long relief role), and he returns to the minor leagues for the time being.

It's fair to assume that Rodriguez will be back with the major league club at some point this season, especially if he continues to dominate in Triple-A like he has been. The final line in his return to MLB doesn't reflect how impressive Rodriguez was in last night's game. Soft contact and plays that should have been made by the defense led to him giving up three earned runs. However, despite the high earned run average that he now holds, Rodriguez got the win and showed that he's improved on the player he was a season ago.