The Brewers announced that they have recalled right-hander Coleman Crow. He will start tonight’s game, making his major league debut in the process. Right-hander Easton McGee was optioned to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move.
Crow, 25, was originally drafted by the Angels but was twice traded as a minor leaguer. In June of 2023, the Halos acquired Eduardo Escobar from the Mets, with Crow one of the two pieces going to Queens. Shortly thereafter, Crow required Tommy John surgery. In December of that year, Crow was flipped to the Brewers for Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor.
With the Brewers, Crow missed the 2024 season, as he spent that year recovering from his surgery. He was back on the mound in 2025. He made 12 starts, split between Double-A and Triple-A, logging 50 innings. He allowed 3.24 earned runs per nine with a huge 32% strikeout rate. His 6% walk rate and 49.2% ground ball rate were also strong figures.
At the end of last year, the Brewers gave him a 40-man roster spot, to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent. In November, FanGraphs ranked him the #20 prospect in the system. That report suggested he had some starter traits but could end up as a reliever due to his health track record and a lack of a plus pitch that moves away from lefties. He threw six pitches at Triple-A last year, including a fastball, sinker, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup, but he only used the change 3.1% of the time.
The Brewers are still hoping there’s a starter in there. Crow’s first two appearances this year were Triple-A starts. His third outing was technically in relief, but he pitched five innings behind Logan Henderson. Overall, he has thrown 15 2/3 innings on the year with a 4.02 ERA.
This may just be a spot start for Crow. Milwaukee’s rotation includes Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat and Brandon Woodruff. Both Harrison and Sproat had some minor knee issues in the past week, so Crow taking one start could give everyone a little more rest without requiring a stint on the injured list. Crow has a full slate of options and could be sent back down to the minors after this start, if that is the plan.
Photo courtesy of Dave Kallmann, Imagn Images
