Milwaukee Brewers' Top Prospect to Undergo Serious Elbow Surgery

After experiencing elbow problems, Milwaukee Brewers' top prospect Robert Gasser is going to undergo Tommy John surgery, though it's not known yet what type.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser (54) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field on May 27. / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Milwaukee Brewers' top prospect Robert Gasser is set to undergo Tommy John surgery on Monday and will be out at least a year.

Per Todd Rosiak, who covers the Brewers on social media:

Robert Gasser has elected to have surgery on his elbow.

Unknown yet which type, but he’s looking at being out at least 12 months.

Dr Keith Meister will perform the procedure on Monday in Dallas.

Robert Gasser has elected to have surgery on his elbow.

Unknown yet which type, but he’s looking at being out at least 12 months.

Dr Keith Meister will perform the procedure on Monday in Dallas.

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) June 20, 2024

If Gasser has the normal Tommy John procedure, he'll be out for the rest of this year and all of next year. If he opts for the newly popular internal brace procedure, there's a chance he could be back at somepoint towards the end of next season. Multiple pitchers including Lucas Giolito and Matt Brash have opted for that form of treatment this season.

Gasser is the No. 4 ranked prospect in the organization and has went 2-0 through five starts with the big club this year. In 28.0 innings, he had a 2.57 ERA. He struck out 16 batters in 28.0 innings. Gasser was picked No. 71 overall in the 2021 major league draft. He played his college ball at the University of Houston.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

The 6-foot southpaw throws both a four-seamer and sinker around 91-94 mph -- the former working up in the zone and the latter dropping low to limit damage (no batter managed an extra-base hit off Gasser’s sinker in 2023). He uses both more as table-setters while his 79-82 mph slider can be a true putaway pitch -- one that can run away from lefties or backfoot righties with sweep and even some lift. He’s added an upper-80s cutter that hovers right around the 0-inch horizontal mark, giving him a pitch he can pinpoint with relative ease. His upper-80s changeup has dwindled in usage as Gasser has worked on its command.

His injury is another blow to a Brewers' rotation that traded away Corbin Burnes this past offseason and has also seen season-ending injuries to Wade Miley and Brandon Woodruff.

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