Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski will miss both his scheduled start against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game because of arm fatigue.
The 24-year-old right-hander was expected to face Pirates star Paul Skenes in Sunday’s series finale, but Milwaukee decided to shut him down through the All-Star break after he did not recover well from his previous outing.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Misiorowski’s throwing session did not feel right, prompting the team to take the cautious approach. Misiorowski is not expected to be placed on the injured list and believes he will be ready to rejoin the rotation after the break. Left-hander Robert Gasser will start Sunday in his place.
It is a frustrating break for one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers. Misiorowski is 10-4 with a major-league-best 1.62 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 111 innings across 18 starts. He has allowed only 57 hits and owns a 0.76 WHIP.
His overpowering fastball has been a major part of that success. Misiorowski leads all MLB starting pitchers with an average four-seam fastball velocity of 100.5 mph. He has also thrown 670 pitches at least 100 mph this season, more than any other pitcher in the majors.
Misiorowski was selected to the National League All-Star team for the second consecutive season, but he had already been replaced on the active roster by Pittsburgh pitcher Braxton Ashcraft because he was originally scheduled to pitch Sunday. The arm fatigue now guarantees Misiorowski will be unavailable for the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Although missing the showcase and the anticipated matchup with Skenes is disappointing, the Brewers are prioritizing Misiorowski’s health as they prepare for the second half of the season.