Brewers activate Zach Davies from the IL for tonight’s start, option Aaron Wilkerson to Triple-A

The Brewers rotation is getting closer to full strength.

After struggling over three starts, Zach Davies had been placed on the injured list with back spasms. However, the injury wasn’t deemed to be too severe, and Davies was pitching on the side while on the IL. After 15 days on the IL, Davies was activated today and will make his start tonight against the Cardinals.

Davies had been struggling before going on the IL. In his last three starts, he’s allowed a total of 17 earned runs over 13 innings. Before that, he had four straight starts with one or fewer earned runs per start and was showing his full potential. It’s possible that his back affected those last three starts, so the first start or two back will be interesting to watch. Over the course of the season, he’s posted a 3.74 ERA and a 78/41 K:BB ratio.

Meanwhile, Aaron Wilkerson was sent back down to Triple-A after pitching yesterday. He covered 4.1 innings yesterday and allowed 5 earned runs on 4 home runs in the appearance. Wilkerson has struggled in the majors this year, allowing 13 earned runs over 16 innings in the majors. He wouldn’t be available for the next few days as well, so he was likely heading down anyway.

The Brewers start a critical three-game series against the Cardinals tonight, hoping to make up some ground and push for first place in the division.