Key Brewers rotation option shines in Opening Day start with Triple-A Nashville

When the Milwaukee Brewers began trimming their spring roster ahead of Opening Day, one of the toughest calls centered on where Robert Gasser would begin the season. The left-hander, entering his first full year after Tommy John surgery, pitched out of the bullpen during the end of last season and showcased a revamped sinker during his final spring outing, making the decision anything but easy.

In the end, the Brewers' rotation was filled out with a healthy enough Brandon Woodruff and Brandon Sproat, who has plenty of upside, leaving Gasser on the outside looking in. He was optioned to Triple-A Nashville, where he took the mound yesterday as the Sounds’ Opening Day starter.

Facing the Norfolk Tides, Gasser delivered a dominant performance, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings while surrendering just two hits and walking three. Channeling his inner Jacob Misiorowski, he too struck out 11 batters while racking up 18 swings and misses along the way. Unfortunately, the Sounds lost 6-4, in a game that was called after the seventh inning due to rain.

Robert Gasser dominates the competition in Opening Day start for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds

Digging deeper into Gasser's start, he continued on the trend of relying on his revamped sinker. He leaned on this pitch the most on Opening Day, throwing it 30% of the time. His sweeper was in mid-season form in the outing, generating five strikeouts and eight whiffs.

Gasser’s four-seam fastball usage dropped to 16%, but he used it strategically, and the presence of his improved sinker allowed the pitch to play up. The four-seamer generated five strikeouts and four swings and misses, showing that when he deployed it, both the timing and location were pinpoint perfect.

Despite starting the season in Triple-A, Gasser has shown he remains a top option for the Brewers' rotation whenever they need him. His dominant outing against Norfolk is further proof that he will be one of the first names called up in case of a rotation injury and that he still has the talent to make an immediate impact for the big-league club.