MILWAUKEE -- One day after another rough outing from Corbin Burnes, the future is uncertain for the promising young right-hander.

"We had a couple conversations today, and I think we still need to have some more conversations," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Thursday, before the Brewers opened a four-game series against the Dodgers at Miller Park.

A fourth-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Burnes rose quickly through Milwaukee's system and was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017, after going 8-3 with a 1.67 ERA at the High A and Double-A levels.

He began last season at Triple-A Colorado Springs, and got the call to the big leagues despite a 5.15 ERA. He dazzled as a rookie, going 7-0 with 2.61 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 38 innings of work out of the bullpen, and then followed that up by allowing just two earned runs over 11 innings during the playoffs.

When the season ended, Counsell and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns made it clear that Burnes would return to a starting role in 2019, and he made the opening day rotation after notching 26 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings of Cactus League action.

Burnes struck out 12 in his first outing this season, but also allowed three home runs. He struck out six his next time out, but again allowed three homers. He then struck out three in his third outing, and once more, he gave up three long balls.

Wednesday against the Cardinals, Burnes allowed two more homers -- giving him an MLB-leading 11 on the season -- and five earned runs overall to raise his season total to 21, which also leads the Majors.

"He's just not locating the fastball when he needs to," Milwaukee pitching coach Chris Hook says. That's basically what it comes down to.

"When he wants to throw a fastball, there are times he tends to overdo it, and he leaves it out over the middle plate. When you're facing quality big leaguers and you leave it over the middle of the plate, things happen.

"We're all aware of that and I think he is as well."

The Brewers have three options:

Leave him be and let him work through it -- Any other year, any other situation, this would probably be the course of action, but the Brewers aren't in rebuilding mode, they're a legitimate contender. So while they'd love to let him take his lumps and learn at the big league level, they still need to win ball games.

"Starters [take time to] develop, but we do need performance," Counsell said. "We have to balance all those things together and that's why this is requiring more conversation."

Move him to the bullpen -- Burnes excelled in a relief role as a rookie last season, but Counsell and Stearns have been clear since the start of the off-season that they view Burnes as a starter, and Counsell reiterated that belief Thursday.

"It's important for us that Corbin is a starter," Counsell said. "It's important that we give chances to guys who have the stuff to be Major League starters to start baseball games. Starters are hard to find; there aren't a lot of them out there. There aren't a lot of pitchers out there with the stuff that Corbin has."

Send him to Triple-A to get back on track -- This is the most likely of the three scenarios. Burnes made just 19 appearances (13 starts) at that level last season, and now that the Brewers' top affiliate has left the high altitude of Colorado Springs, sending a struggling pitcher down to work out a few kinks is a little less stressful.

"It's hard for people to remember, but this is only Corbin's third full season in professional baseball," Hook said. "Normally, you'd go through these growing pains at the Minor League level but he's going through it here and obviously, it hurts a little bit more."

Burnes' next turn in the rotation comes Monday when the Brewers open a three-game series in St. Louis.

"We have to make a decision at some point and let him know in a timely manner," Counsell said. "We're letting everything digest and think through some conversations that we've already had."