Dustin May’s fourth start for the Milwaukee Brewers ended almost before it began Wednesday night against the Mets.
On the first pitch of the game, New York leadoff hitter A.J. Ewing sent a line drive straight back up the middle and into May’s back, forcing the right-hander out after just one pitch.
The ball narrowly missed May’s right arm, and for a brief moment there was some hope he might stay in the game. He threw a few warm-up pitches in front of manager Pat Murphy and head athletic trainer Brad Epstein before the Brewers decided to take the cautious route and pull him.
Left-hander Robert Gasser came on in relief. Gasser had last pitched on August 20, so he was working on five days’ rest, but he was still suddenly being asked to handle a bulk role on a night he wasn’t expecting to pitch. He had been lined up to start Sunday afternoon in the Brewers’ series finale against the Texas Rangers, a plan that will almost certainly have to change now.
The bigger question is what comes next for May. Milwaukee is waiting on word about the severity of the injury, and if it turns out to be minor, May could even make another appearance later in the week or over the weekend in place of the start he lost on Wednesday. He threw only one pitch before exiting.
That uncertainty lands at an awkward time for the Brewers. Earlier in the day, when they released their probable starters, they said they intended to keep using a six-man rotation for the foreseeable future. With 16 games in 16 days beginning last night, losing a key trade deadline addition like May for any stretch would be a real problem.
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Even so, Milwaukees outfield future still has a name worth tracking closely in Brailyn Antunez. The 18-year-old has surged since moving up to Low-A, and MLB Pipeline recently labeled him the hottest hitting prospect in the Brewers system. With Frias and Ragsdale gone, Antunezs rise gives the organization a fresh reason to believe its next wave of outfield help may already be taking shape. [Read more 🡒]