An under-the-radar return to the mound last week might be one of the best stories in the Milwaukee Brewers minor leagues this season.
Cameron Wagoner, an 11th-round draft pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2022, returned to the mound for the first time in more than 950 days, and he also happened to be throwing 98.7 mph. His appearance May 2 for the Class AA Biloxi Shuckers was followed by another 1⅓ innings May 6 and another inning May 10.
As the right-hander explained on the Biloxi Shuckers pregame show, he underwent Tommy John surgery after noticing problems in his elbow as he prepared for the 2024 season. After progressing back from the surgery, he developed fluid in his elbow that required another six months of rehab, followed by an elbow fracture that threw him into another rehab cycle.
Wagoner’s previous professional appearance came Sept. 6, 2023, with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers; one day earlier, he had been named the Midwest League pitcher of the month for August after going 4-0 with a 1.37 earned run average in five games.
The Shuckers indicated he threw the ball 99 mph in his first outing, which featured a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. He appeared again May 6 for 1⅓ innings, allowing a homer and a walk and hitting two batters, but he did strike out another batter, too. On May 10, he allowed two hits but no runs with two strikeouts over an inning in a Shuckers loss.
Wagoner made 24 appearances with Wisconsin in his last pro season, largely as a starter.
“Lot of time in rehab, lot of friends made, lot of lessons learned, for sure,” Wagoner said to Shuckers announcer Javik Blake on the pregame show. “It gave me time to understand my ability to throw now. Rather it used to be go in their blind, now I know what I can do best and how to execute my stuff every day.”
Here’s what happened last week
Standout performance from Brewers 40-man roster players, including Cooper Pratt
Best performance this week from a Brewers top prospect: Andrew Fischer
Fischer had a monster Sunday on May 10, belting two homers with a triple and finishing a double shy of the cycle for the Timber Rattlers. He finished 4 for 6 with five RBIs, and he also had two doubles and a home run from games earlier in the week.
Fischer’s .988 OPS is superb on the surface, with nine homers and 26 RBIs. The concern would be his strikeout tally, with 46 in 126 plate appearances (37%). He still has a .365 on-base percentage but will struggle to rise through the system without bringing his rate of strikeouts down.
How Brewers prospect Jesús Made fared last week
Made, on the doorstep of becoming the No. 1 prospect in baseball, had five hits in five games last week but also no extra-base hits and five strikeouts. He’s had only two extra-base hits since April 21. Made also made a heads-up play by grabbing a bat out of the way at the last second as teammate Blake Burke came sliding home.
Made turned 19 years old May 8.
How Brewers prospect Luis Peña fared last week
The No. 2 prospect in the organization has not played in a game since collapsing in the dugout April 22.
How Brewers prospect Jett Williams fared last week
Williams had six hits, including two doubles, over six games with a pair of stolen bases and three RBIs. After his slow start to the year, his OPS is up to .714.
Brewers names you might want to learn
The arrival of the ACL season means a first look at many system newcomers, and the Brewers saw a pair of strong debuts from their 19th- and 20th-round picks in the 2025 draft, both of whom signed for well over slot value.
Right-hander Chase Bentley out of Florida, whose signing for $757,000 was a new record for a 19th-round pick, allowed one hit in four innings with one walk and six strikeouts for the ACL Brewers on May 7. On May 4, Ma’Kale Holden – a 20th-round righty from Alabama who signed for $410,000 – allowed three hits in five innings in his pro debut, with one walk and six strikeouts.
Brewers minor-league highlights May 4-10
Pitching performances haven’t been as notable as the hitters in the organization thus far, but a sampling from last week:
Intriguing opposing player
Reds standout 24-year-old prospect Noelvi Marte has struggled to maintain his foothold in the big leagues, but he was pretty strong for the Louisville Bats in their series with Nashville this week, collecting back-to-back three-hit games and eight hits in the series. None, however, went for extra bases. He’s got a .989 OPS with three homers in the minors this year, and it stands to reason he’ll still be part of the Reds again at some point this season and, thus, part of the National League Central race. But his career OPS in the big leagues is only .680.
Brewers minor-league games May 11-17
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers minor-league update | Pitcher returns after two years, throwing 99 mph
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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