Brewers Injury Updates: More bad news piles up with Robert Gasser, Joe Ross, others

The news just doesn't get better on the injury front for the Milwaukee Brewers. The pitching staff has been ravaged by these injuries and just as it seemed maybe the worst of it is coming to an end, the latest updates indicate that is not the case.

Manager Pat Murphy provided updates on several of his injured pitchers and good news was hard to find in the reports on Robert Gasser, Joe Ross, Jakob Junis, and others.

Robert Gasser injury update

Pat Murphy told reporters that while Gasser is seeking a third opinion on his flexor strain, he's preparing for Gasser to join Brandon Woodruff and Wade Miley on the injured list for the rest of the season.

The second opinion Gasser received said his UCL was not as strong as it should be and he could rehab his way through it. He's seeking a third opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, who performed the shoulder surgery on Brandon Woodruff last offseason.

While Gasser is hoping to avoid surgery, it's looking like he'll still require a lengthy absence from the Brewers rotation. A move to the 60 day IL may soon be coming for Gasser.

Joe Ross injury update

Joe Ross has also had a setback and won't be returning as soon as originally hoped. Ross was planning to be back this next week but instead he's now without a timeline to return.

Ross suffered a back strain back on May 20th, departing his start against the Marlins after just one inning.

It's unclear just how debilitating of a setback this is for Ross or if the injury has gotten any worse than it initially was, but he's not going to come back and aid this rotation anytime in the near future.

Jakob Junis injury update

The closest pitcher to returning has been Jakob Junis, who made just one start in April before landing on the injured list with a shoulder issue. He then suffered a setback when he was struck in the back of the neck by a batting practice ball in May. He's been out on rehab assignment building back up and was getting close to returning.

That return has hit a snag. Junis' velocity was down in his most recent outing, which concerned the Brewers. The Brewers will now take him out of Nashville and put him in Arizona at the Maryvale complex to throw four simulated innings. A simulated game environment instead of a real game environment ideally will help Junis make the fixes he needs and prove he's healthy.

After that simulated outing, he could make his return to either his rehab assignment or the big leagues.

DL Hall injury update

The update on DL Hall is frankly the only good news to come out of Murphy's updates. Hall has left to go on a rehab assignment. He sought a second opinion on his reinjured knee last week and chose instead to go with the first opinion he received. He's continued to rehab and is going back out to pitch in the minors to finish his rehab assignment.

It's unclear how long Hall's rehab assignment will last. He threw just two innings in his two rehab appearances prior to reinjuring his knee. Hall initially went on the IL on April 20th with a knee sprain. He was recently transferred to the 60 day IL and is first eligible to return on June 20th.

He'll need to build back up some stamina if he's to return to the rotation. The Brewers haven't yet said if he will return as a starter or instead move to the bullpen.

The Brewers have eight pitchers on the injured list and now at least three of them won't be coming back as soon as hoped. Hall already had his return pushed back due to a setback.