The Brewers recalled right-hander Coleman Crow on Friday and said he will start tonight’s game, giving the 25-year-old his major league debut. Right-hander Easton McGee was optioned to Triple-A Nashville in the corresponding move.
Crow’s path to this moment has been a long one. Drafted by the Angels and twice traded as a minor leaguer, he was sent to Queens in June 2023 as part of the deal that brought Eduardo Escobar from the Mets, then needed Tommy John surgery shortly after. The Brewers acquired him in December 2023 for Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor, and he missed the 2024 season while recovering.
Milwaukee kept him in the picture by giving him a 40-man roster spot at the end of last year, a move that prevented him from reaching minor league free agency. FanGraphs ranked Crow as the Brewers’ No. 20 prospect in November, and he spent 2025 working his way back into form with 12 starts split between Double-A and Triple-A. He logged 50 innings and posted a 3.24 ERA, with a 32% strikeout rate, a 6% walk rate and a 49.2% ground ball rate.
His stuff gives the Brewers some flexibility. Crow threw six pitches at Triple-A last year — a fastball, sinker, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup — and used the changeup 3.1% of the time. This year, his first two appearances were Triple-A starts, and his third outing was technically in relief behind Logan Henderson, though he still worked five innings. He has thrown 15 2/3 innings this season with a 4.02 ERA.
The timing also fits Milwaukee’s current rotation picture, which includes Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat and Brandon Woodruff. Kyle Harrison and Brandon Sproat had minor knee issues in the past week, and Crow now gets the first crack at helping cover that workload. Because he still has a full slate of options, the Brewers could send him back to the minors after this start if they choose.
For Crow, the debut is the payoff for a stretch that included surgery, a trade and two years of waiting. For the Brewers, it is a low-risk look at a pitcher they have spent the last year trying to keep close.
