Brewers could call on Joe Ross as starter against Braves

In a flurry of trades, the Milwaukee Brewers are expected to sign right-handed pitcher Joe Ross off the injured list so he can start Tuesday against the visiting Atlanta Braves.

Ross (2-4, 4.50 ERA) has been sidelined since May 21 with a lower back injury.

Right-handed pitcher Bryce Elder (1-4, 6.35) is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start for the Braves, who have lost seven of their last nine games.

The Brewers also could have right-hander Frankie Montas in the rotation. Montas (4-8, 5.01) was acquired in a trade with Cincinnati on Monday night, according to multiple media reports. He last started on Wednesday and played no role in the decision in a 9-4 win over Atlanta.

Willy Adames belted a go-ahead three-run homer to help the Brewers to an 8-3 comeback victory in the series opener Monday night. Rookie Jackson Chourio hit a two-run homer and Rhys Hoskins added a solo shot. The Braves squandered a solid performance from rookie Grant Holmes, who allowed one run on three hits in five innings in his first career start after 10 relief appearances this season.

“We talk about how great the bullpen has been, and they have been,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “There’s going to be games like this where it gets out of hand.”

Ross, who did not pitch in the majors in 2022 or 2023 after his second Tommy John surgery, would make his 10th start of the season if activated. He was in the Brewers locker room for Monday’s game. He is 1-5 with a 6.53 ERA in nine career appearances (eight starts) against Atlanta.

After a one-inning rehab stint at Class-A Wisconsin, Ross made three starts at Triple-A Nashville, allowing 11 runs on 16 hits (8.25 ERA) in 12 innings.

The Brewers’ bullpen is also in a state of flux. Trevor Megill, who has 20 saves in 22 chances, was placed on the injured list Monday with a back injury. All-Star closer Devin Williams pitched for the first time this season after coming off the IL on Sunday, but the Brewers announced he will not be used in back-to-back games.

Reliever Nick Mears, acquired from Colorado on Saturday, threw a scoreless inning in his Brewers debut on Monday.

The 20-year-old Chourio is hitting .324 with 10 doubles, seven homers and 28 RBIs in his last 42 games. Hoskins has just 12 hits in 65 at-bats (.185) in July, but seven of them are homers.

“If you’re hitting 12 hits a month, seven homers is good,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “If you’ve got one homer in 12 hits, that’s going to be a tough month. But he’s hit so many clutch homers.”

Elder, who went 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA in 31 starts with Atlanta last season, is bouncing between the Braves and Triple-A this season.

Elder made two starts with Atlanta in July, going 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA and allowing nine runs on 12 hits in 10 innings. In his final major league start, on July 20 against St. Louis, he was tagged for six runs in five innings but struck out nine.

Elder is 6-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 starts with Gwinnett this season.

Marcell Ozuna hit his 31st home run on Monday, second only to Shohei Ohtani (32) in the National League. Orlando Arcia, who also homered on Monday, is hitting .333 in his last 14 games with three homers and seven RBIs.

–Field level media