Freddy Peralta to be activated from Injured List, start Thursday

After a lone rehab assignment start in Double-A Biloxi, Freddy Peralta will be activated from the Injured List on Thursday and start against the Colorado Rockies, Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Peralta allowed 3 runs on 3 hits in 4.2 innings in his rehab start, striking out 7. He struggled to pitch efficiently before landing on the IL, making it out of the 4th inning just once — his incredible 8 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts against an anemic Cincinnati offense — in his first four starts.

Brandon Woodruff was scheduled to start Thursday, and will presumably move to the bullpen — for now. At some point this year, though, the Brewers will have to figure out what they have in terms of starting potential for Woodruff, Peralta and Corbin Burnes. The team is trying to compete this year, but with Jhoulys Chacin and Gio Gonzalez presumably gone next season, the starter-or-reliever question will have to be answered at some point this year for all three of the young arms.

If you’re looking for an answer as to why Peralta is being put right back in the rotation, that would probably be it. Peralta’s history against the Rockies may have something to do with it, as well.

It’s unfortunate timing for Woodruff, who is coming off his best start of the season when he held the Mets to just 1 run over 5 innings while striking out 6, but at this point he’s also the most proven commodity of the three, and the one that would likely be hurt the least by moving him back and forth between the rotation and bullpen.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference