Milwaukee, WI
Top Prospect Robert Gasser Set To Debut For The Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Robert Gasser throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first … [+]
The time has finally come for Robert Gasser.
Gasser, the Milwaukee Brewers’ top pitching prospect is expected to make his major league debut Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field.
“We told (Gasser) in spring training, even before the injury, that you’re going to pitch in the major leagues, so prepare for your debut,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Thursday ahead of a 7-1 victory over the Cardinals.
Gasser’s debut comes nearly two years after he was acquired by Milwaukee as part of the deal that sent closer Josh Hader to the Padres in July 2022. He had gone 4-9 with a 4.18 ERA in 18 starts for San Diego’s High-A affiliate at the time of the trade but the Brewers promoted him to Double-Biloxi where he went 1-1 with a 2.21 ERA in four starts before earning a promotion to Triple-A Nashville, where he went 2-2 with a 4.44 ERA in five starts to close out the season.
He was named the Brewers Co-Minor League Pitcher of the year in 2023 after going 9-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 26 appearances (25 starts) for Nashville. Gasser might have had a chance to make the Opening Day roster this season had bone spurs in his throwing elbow not sidelined him during the final days of Spring Training.
Gasser opened the season on the injured list but made his debut with Nashville on April 24 and compiled an 0-1 record and 5.25 ERA in three starts while striking out 17 batters over 12 innings.
“They were happy with how I was in spring, what I was bringing to the table,” Gasser said. “It was more so just making sure I was sharp when I got back and getting my pitch counts up.”
The Brewers’ starting rotation was already a work in progress heading into the season but has become a makeshift operation thanks to a rash of injuries, including a season-ending UCL tear for veteran left-hander Wade Miley.
Freddy Peralta’s decision to drop his appeal of a five-game suspension led to another opening, setting the stage for Gasser to get his shot.
“Being in Triple-A, you’re always one step away, one call away,” Gasser said. “I was throwing the ball well last year and felt really good this spring and I knew they had a lot of faith in me.”
MILWAUKEE — Sometimes the most influential people in our lives are the ones we don’t expect to meet. In Milwaukee, a simple social media post led to a story about mentorship, inclusion and the power of creating safe spaces in the arts community.
Watch: Milwaukee community hero recognized
From survivor advocacy to tattoo artistry: Community hero recognized in Milwaukee
A few months ago, TMJ4 reporter Meryl Hubbard posted a TikTok asking people to name their community hero. Miranda Davila commented:
“Mai Kue a tattoo artist and owner of Starseed Studio. She’s done a lot to uplift, specifically Hmong artists and voices, but also was extremely kind when I was initially asking for help with my portfolio, and was looking for an apprenticeship. She doesn’t gatekeep, and she wants more women, specifically women of color in the tattoo world.”
Davila, an artist herself, says Mai Kue Vang gave her genuine feedback on her work and helped her get started with finding apprenticeships and a studio.
“I had been looking for, like, literally anybody to look at my portfolio for tattooing. She was the main one who really kept up with me,” Davila said.
When Vang learned she had been nominated as someone’s community hero, her reaction was one of humble surprise.
“I’m like, what?! Somebody like somebody shared me, and I’m just like, what really? So I’m always like, humbled. I’m always surprised. My Achilles heel is like, I never give myself time to, like, give myself credit,” Vang said.
After a career committed to non-profit work of helping survivors of gender-based violence, Vang started Starseed Studio in 2018. She has been tattooing out of her current location since 2022.
Today, Vang is still helping survivors and inspires Hmong, queer and women of color communities to explore tattoo artistry. Her main drive is creating a safe space and motivating others to pursue their dreams.
“I always encourage people of like, if you don’t see a space for you, like, create it,” Vang said.
For Davila, Vang’s intentional approach to art makes all the difference.
“She’s so intentional with the way that she creates art, and I think that’s so special, especially when it’s something you’re going to be putting on someone forever. It’s just an amazing feeling to have someone in the community here who, like truly cares about their artwork and how they give it to other people,” Davila said.
Vang was one of the only people who took time to help Davila with her artistic aspirations, something that meant everything to an artist trying to find her place in the community.
“There’s so many artists and you don’t feel like you’re necessarily part of the community sometimes. I felt, yeah, very seen by her. I felt a connection there,” Davila said.
The feeling of being seen goes both ways.
“I’m just like, Oh, my God, I’m a hero? Like, okay, like, Thank you. You know. I’m in gratitude that someone sees me as their hero,” Vang said.
If you have a community hero you’d like to share, you can email meryl.hubbard@tmj4.com.
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Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent talks about youth gun violence
Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has worked in Minneapolis, Memphis and Boston. She says she has never seen gun violence so bad.
A Milwaukee teenager convicted of killing two St. Anthony High School students will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Circuit Judge Laura Crivello handed down the life sentence for Moses Martinez on Nov. 14. Martinez filed papers that same day signaling his intent to appeal the conviction, online court records show.
Martinez was 17 when prosecutors say he fatally shot Diego Herrera-Mejia, 16, and Isaac Rodriguez, 15, on the 800 block of West Manitoba Street on June 15, 2024.
In August, a jury found Martinez, now 18, guilty of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless injury and fleeing police.
The state dismissed charges of driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent and misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.
Here’s what prosecutors say happened to Diego Herrera-Mejia and Isaac Rodriguez
Family members told police investigators the two teens were walking with a few friends and cousins on Manitoba Street when “some guys on a scooter” came up to them and tried to provoke them.
A third person, a 14-year-old girl, also was shot, but survived the attack.
Martinez was arrested two months after the shooting.
Diego and Isaac, friends since middle school, were set to begin their sophomore year together in the fall at St. Anthony, on Milwaukee’s south side.
According to a criminal complaint, a 14-year-old girl told police she was part of a group that was walking away from a party when two teens approached on a scooter.
At some point, one of the two teens pulled out a gun and started shooting at the group, hitting Diego and Isaac, the complaint says. The girl also was injured by gunfire but survived.
Why was this case important?
Martinez’s trial offered the latest evidence of Milwaukee’s ongoing struggle with a swell of juvenile crime involving guns and homicides.
There have been 128 homicides reported in the city of Milwaukee in 2025 as of Nov. 13. During the same period in 2024, the year Diego and Isaac were killed, there were 117 killings reported in the city, according to Milwaukee police statistics.
There have been 20 homicides reported in Milwaukee since January involving victims 17 and younger, compared with 17 during all of 2024, department statistics say.
In 2023, there were 16 child homicides reported in the city.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.
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