Kyle Harrison’s dominant rehab outing signals a timely rotation boost, but the Milwaukee Brewers' pursuit of a fourth postseason arm remains critical.
The Milwaukee Brewers were thrilled with what they saw from Kyle Harrison during his first rehab start.
Had things gone south, there might've been a need for two or three. According to Harrison though, things went according to plan, and to the naked eye, he's absolutely right.
Harrison is arguably this team's No. 2 pitcher behind Jacob Misiorowski. Logan Henderson has made quite a case for himself to be in that spot, but there's nothing wrong with a little competition.
With both Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester out for the year, the Brewers knew they needed to get Harrison back as soon as possible, but couldn't rush his recovery. When talking to the media after his first rehab start, it's clear Harrison has his sights set on returning to the big leagues for the Brewers first series after the trade deadline.
Harrison eyes starting for Brewers from Aug. 3-6
Milwaukee had a day off on Thursday, July 30, but now they remain in California for a three-game slate against the Los Angeles Angels.
After an afternoon game on Sunday, August 2, they'll make the cross-country flight back to Milwaukee as the Pittsburgh Pirates come to town for a four-game series spanning August 3-6.
Harrison, fresh off a 5.2-inning rehab outing, seems ready to go. Sure, he walked three batters, but he struck out five and allowed just one hit. Seeing as he threw 68 pitches and didn't allow a run, it's safe to assume manager Pat Murphy and pitching coach Chris Hook will agree with Harrison's assessment.
When discussing a potential return to American Family Field at the start of August, Harrison said, "We'll see, but that's what I'm hoping for," according to MLB.com.
"The forearm felt great. I felt nothing,” he added. “The plan is to keep going and we’ll see where it takes me next.”
Even though this start was at High-A with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Harrison believes he's an asset to re-join the team next week and doesn't need to make an appearance at Triple-A.
Do Brewers still need another starter?
Milwaukee now has a solid trio with Misiorowski, Harrison, and Henderson, as long as all three stay healthy. To make a deep run through October though, a fourth rock-solid starter seems to be necessary.
While it's great that Harrison is coming back, that shouldn't change the Brewers plans. If they can go out and get a guy like Tarik Skubal, there's simply no reason not to. He'll immediately make this team better, and would turn an already solid rotation into one that will give the back-to-back World Series Champions a run for their money.
