Brewers News: Encouraging Gasser injury update, Junis begins rehab assignment

Believe it or not, there were some positive developments regarding Milwaukee Brewers pitchers currently on the injured list and for once they weren't balanced out by some negative ones. That likely comes as a relief to fans who have been used to hearing one piece of bad news after another.

While some clarity was provided on starting pitcher Robert Gasser's recent injury, swingman pitcher Jakob Junis took the next step in his return to injury on Tuesday night, joining another Brewers pitcher attempting to return from injury. Let's take a look at the latest on the Crew's pitching staff.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy provided clarity on starter Robert Gasser's arm injury.

Speaking to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer Todd Rosiak prior to Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Murphy still classified Gasser's recent elbow injury as "tightness and soreness" but also stated, "from the first MRI, I guess it looks pretty normal."

Gasser is still in the process of getting a second opinion and declined to speak to reporters further on the injury, also per Rosiak. This could potentially be a very positive development, though, as elbow tightness can often lead to surgery that shelves a pitcher for months. And with how battered the Brewers' starting rotation has been, that sort of diagnosis would be a killer blow.

Pitcher Jakob Junis began his rehab assignment at Triple-A on Tuesday night.

After having his return from injury delayed due to a freak incident in Pittsburgh, Junis has finally moved on to a rehab assignment down at Triple-A Nashville with his first appearance coming last night for the Sounds. That outing went about as well as one could hope.

Junis needed just 21 pitches, 15 of which were strikes, to get through two innings scoreless innings of work and didn't give up a hit or walk while striking out three. Having been out so long, he will require a handful more outings, but this was a very encouraging start to his assignment.

Injured Brewers reliever Taylor Clarke may be nearing his Brewers debut.

In starting his rehab assignment, Junis joined a fellow Brewers pitcher in Taylor Clarke as current members of the Sounds roster. However, their time together on this roster may be brief.

Clarke pitched four scoreless innings for Milwaukee, as was noted today by Rosiak, and is now up to six appearances with Nashville, carrying a 1.93 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and eight strikeouts to just one walk over that span. Clarke, who was acquired from the Royals this offseason, was injured before the season and has yet to make his Brewers debut. It may not be long now before that finally happens.