Brewers reliever Zerpa to get Tommy John surgery

ST. LOUIS -- Brewers left-hander Angel Zerpa is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on Monday to repair a torn ligament in his left elbow, a procedure which will end his debut season in Milwaukee.

Zerpa, acquired in a December trade with the Royals, charged into the regular season coming off a sensational showing for tournament champion Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but mostly struggled in his 12 appearances with the Brewers. He surrendered 16 hits, six walks and nine earned runs in 12 2/3 innings, allowing earned runs or inherited runners to score in seven of his nine appearances in April.

His surgery will be performed in the Dallas area by Dr. Keith Meister on Monday, and the Brewers estimate Zerpa will be sidelined until next spring or summer. The 26-year-old is under contractual control by the Brewers through at least the 2028 season.

Checking in on the players whom the Brewers gave up in the trade for Zerpa, right-handed reliever Nick Mears has a 2.31 ERA in 13 appearances so far, and infielder Isaac Collins, who was coming off a fourth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year balloting, has a .678 OPS.

Other medical updates from the club on Tuesday:

• The plan for Christian Yelich (left groin strain) calls for the veteran designated hitter to progress to live at-bats and baserunning by early next week. His estimated return remains mid to late May.

• Brandon Woodruff traveled to Dallas on Tuesday morning for a hands-on assessment with Dr. Meister, who performed Woodruff’s shoulder surgery in 2023. Woodruff’s velocity sat in the mid-80 mph range in his last start, and he landed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation.

• In his weekly radio appearance on the Brewers’ flagship radio station, 620-AM WTMJ, manager Pat Murphy said “all things look good” for right-hander Jacob Misiorowski to start as scheduled against the Yankees when the Brewers return from the road trip. Misiorowski left his last start with a no-hit bid cooking in the sixth inning because of cramping in his right hamstring.

• Lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny is scheduled to throw 25 pitches off the bullpen mound on Tuesday at Busch Stadium, weather permitting, as part of a planned build-up to live batting practice next week. He is on the IL with an intercostal muscle strain. Another lefty reliever on the IL, Jared Koenig (left elbow), is throwing on flat ground but has yet to get back on the mound.

• Outfielder Akil Baddoo is on track to begin a Minor League rehab assignment next week. Signed as a free agent in December, Baddoo went down with a left quad strain during Spring Training.