SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Craig Yoho left spring training having missed making Milwaukee’s roster to start the year, manager Pat Murphy assured the right-hander he would be in the major leagues soon enough.
The 25-year-old Yoho had never even pitched at Triple-A, so that remained an important step in his path to the majors — and over the weekend he found out he would be joining the Brewers.
On Monday night, he made his big league debut when he took the ball to start the eighth inning with his team trailing 4-2. After striking out Heliot Ramos, Yoho walked LaMonte Wade Jr. and gave up a single to Wilmer Flores before a mound visit.
Patrick Bailey hit a sacrifice fly as Milwaukee turned an inning-ending double play. The Giants won 5-2.
“I got off to a hot start this year in Triple-A and felt like I put myself into the conversation, and I’m here and now I’m ready to help this team,” Yoho said, sitting in the visiting dugout at Oracle Park before the game. “Ready to go whenever my name’s called.”
He arrived in time for the opener of a four-game series with the Giants, and had plenty of supporters ready to cheer his major league debut. Yoho’s wife, Sydni, and 8-month-old daughter Daisy made the trip with him from Charlotte, North Carolina, while his parents, Lance and Connie, and brother Brandon and his wife, Madison, traveled from the Indianapolis area. In addition, his in-laws came from near San Antonio.
Yoho allowed just one unearned run over 9 2/3 innings at Triple-A Nashville this year after posting an 0.94 ERA over 48 relief appearances with various minor league teams last season.
He will take all he gained during spring training into this next step, one he is counting on being a prolonged stay with Milwaukee.
“There was just a lot of confidence coming away from that. I got to get some exposure with the coaching staff and teammates and know that my stuff plays at this level,” he said. “And I just need to trust myself and go out there and just pitch.”
Murphy’s message was simple: “Don’t be satisfied you’re just here. You earned it, you deserve it.”
For Yoho, this has been a long time coming. An eighth-round pick by Milwaukee in the 2023 amateur draft, he transferred from the University of Houston after the pandemic-interrupted 2020 season and almost immediately was injured — missing two seasons when he needed Tommy John elbow reconstruction. He also dealt with a knee injury.
The Brewers are hoping he can boost a bullpen that has struggled this season. Milwaukee’s 5.14 bullpen ERA ranks 26th in the majors. Last year, the Brewers had a 3.11 bullpen ERA that was second in the majors.
Murphy looked forward to the moment he would call Yoho’s name to make his long-awaited debut.
“It’s the greatest part of the job is to see players and I guess their families, too, although I don’t get to see that all the time, but the greatest part of the job is to see the guys start believing they can and to see them realize they’ve made it,” Murphy said. “But that’s not what they’re here for, just to make it. They want to excel. But that’s a priceless part of the job, I promise you. I feel very very grateful that I can be part of something like that because it is so very special.”
Milwaukee cleared roster space for Yoho by optioning right-hander Logan Henderson to Nashville and transferring lefty Nestor Cortes to the 60-day injured list.
Henderson was sent down one day after striking out nine batters and allowing only one run over six innings in his MLB debut.
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AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Janie Mccauley, The Associated Press
