Former Hopkinsville High School pitcher Easton McGee is scheduled to make his first start with the Nashville Sounds Friday night when they travel to Lawrenceville, Georgia to take on the Stripers.
The 6-foot-6 right hander will be continuing his quest to get back to the Major League.
He was at the top of his career on April 29, 2023, when he took the mound for his first Major League Baseball start for the Seattle Mariners. During that start he held the Toronto Blue Jays hitless for 6 2/3 innings. But the next morning he awoke to a swollen elbow and an unfamiliar pain.
It turned out that McGee had to have Tommy John surgery. He said he didn’t feel anything pop, but the injury was the result of an accumulation of pitches.
As he began his grueling process of rehab, he said he tried to stay positive mentally.
McGee said his performance with the Mariners gave him confidence that he can pitch at the Major League level. But he doesn’t want to focus on one game.
The injury cost McGee the rest of the 2023 season and the Mariners took him off the roster and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma. In November, McGee elected free agency and the Milwaukee Brewers signed him to a two-year contract.
Before he could pitch again in a game, McGee had a long road to recovery, which he described as challenging.
The Brewers assigned McGee to their Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. He has made several appearances in the last few weeks and says he enjoys pitching close to home where he can see his family and friends. However, he doesn’t know when he may get the call to return to the Major League.
McGee was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2022, he was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox, who traded him to Seattle.
