Brewers call up former top prospect to fill beleaguered starting rotation

The Brewers were facing a shortage in their starting rotation once again. When word came out that Robert Gasser was dealing with elbow tightness and needed a second opinion, an IL stint was inevitable, leaving the Brewers with just three healthy pitchers on the active roster.

On Wednesday, the Brewers made a couple of roster moves to fill in the beleaguered starting rotation. While Gasser went on the injured list, the Brewers also sent down Janson Junk and recalled both Tobias Myers and former top prospect Aaron Ashby.

Ashby is set to start Wednesday's series finale against the Phillies.

The last time out for Triple-A Nashville, Ashby pitched seven shutout innings, looking a lot more like the pitcher the Brewers saw before last year's shoulder surgery. He's needed some time to shake off the rust and get back to his old form and he's certainly looking a lot closer to it.

While ideally the Brewers may have preferred to give Ashby a little more time in Triple-A to ensure he's back to his old self, they were left with little choice after Gasser's injury.

Tobias Myers, who was optioned after his start on Friday, was also recalled. Players can't be called back up until 10 days after being optioned unless there's an injury. Myers was recalled to take Gasser's spot as he went on the IL, thus allowing him to come back to the Brewers.

While there's some good news on the horizon with Jakob Junis out on a rehab assignment and DL Hall potentially returning soon, the Brewers will be relying on Ashby to help fill the gap as they are at the outer limit of their rotation depth right now due to injuries. Six Brewers starting pitchers are on the IL now after Gasser's placement.

The only starting pitcher on the 40 man roster that isn't either injured or on the big league roster now is Bradley Blalock, who's all the way down in Double-A.

Ashby will need to show that he's back to full strength and pitch well in his start against a red-hot Phillies team. It's a tough challenge but the Brewers need him. Myers is also getting another chance despite his struggles at the big league level with a 5.40 ERA.

The good news is Gasser may not be out too long and a couple other pitchers are on the verge of returning, but not soon enough. Ashby has a chance to prove that when the rest of the group is healthy that he deserves a spot in this rotation.