Predicting when this top prospect will make his major league debut in 2025

With Chad Patrick making his fourth major league start last night, and Logan Henderson set to make his MLB debut this afternoon, Milwaukee Brewers fans are surely wondering why their top pitching prospect, Jacob Misiorowski, has yet to make an appearance on the big-league roster despite being ranked higher than the other two. While the Brewers have sustained a plethora of injuries to their starting pitching depth, "Miz," as Misorowski is often referred to, remains in Triple-A Nashville.

Many fans expected Misiorowski to be a part of the Brewers' early-season pitching plans after campaigning for him to join the big-league roster down the stretch last season. The Brewers even converted Misiorowski to a relief pitcher in the latter half of the 2024 season with the hopes that he would join the Brewers' bullpen by season’s end. However, questions with his command kept Miz in Triple-A through the end of last season, and he remains there to this day.

Reviewing the Brew's Paul Dietrich speculated about when fans might see Miz in a Brewers uniform back in March, but since then the team has selected Patrick and Henderson before him and also acquired another intriguing young option in Quinn Priester, signaling that they may believe Misiorowski is farther from MLB-ready than they initially thought. Paired with the anticipated returns of several proven rotation options, Misiorowski's ascent to the majors remains in question.

The timing of Jacob Misiorowski's MLB debut still in question as rotation staples near their returns

Misiorowski, who sports an 80-grade fastball that sits in the high 90s, has been held back by issues with command. These struggles have carried into 2025, with Miz posting a concerning 5.79 walks per nine innings. However, Misiorowski more than makes up for his high walk rate with a keen ability to strike opposing batters out. Throughout his professional career, Miz has averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings, a very high rate for a starting pitcher. While it might not be a sustainable strategy, baserunners matter much less if a pitcher possesses the ability to strike a hitter out in any circumstance. As a result, Misiorowski has found success in the minor leagues despite his inflated walk numbers, posting a 2.55 ERA in Triple-A last season, and a 2.89 ERA so far this year.

However, it's difficult to see where Misiorowski might fit into the big-league rotation with players like Patrick, Priester, and José Quintana all posting impressive numbers in their last few starts, and proven starters like Brandon Woodruff and Tobias Myers nearing their returns from injury.

One creative solution to get Miz on the big league roster even as the rotation starts to fill up is to convert him back into a reliever as the organization did last season. As a reliever, Misorowski's command issues would be neutralized slightly, and his nasty fastball-curveball-slider combination could wreak havoc on opposing hitters late in games. With relief pitchers Joel Payamps and Bryan Hudson off to slow starts in 2025, the Brewers could explore replacing one of them with the electric stuff that Miz has in his repertoire.

Overall, no one is doubting the fact that Misiorowski has the talent to succeed at the big league level. He's one of the Brewers' highest-rated prospects for a reason, but he might still need time to develop in Triple-A. If his command is this much of an issue in Nashville, there's no telling how bad it could be in Milwaukee. For Misiorowski, the last thing he can do is panic. Miz needs to focus on himself and let Patrick and Henderson do their thing in Milwaukee.

Therefore, while it is still very likely that Misiorowski makes his MLB debut in 2025, the Brewers' decision to promote Patrick and Henderson first and the amount of rotation options that the Brewers will have once everyone is healthy could easily delay Miz's debut until after the All-Star break. The timing of his first appearance in the majors will be greatly affected by the severity of Nestor Cortes and Aaron Civale's injuries, which remain uncertain.