When Brandon Woodruff went on paternity leave and Corey Knebel was sent to the Alternate Training Site in Appleton, one of the corresponding moves was calling Justin Topa up to Milwaukee. He made his major league debut on September 1st against the Tigers and showed some interesting stuff even though he gave up a 2-run homer during his two-inning outing.
Topa’s story is one of persistence over adversity, culminating in his first MLB appearance with Milwaukee with the hopes of more to come. He was originally drafted in 2013 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 17th round. He had already had his first Tommy John surgery by that point in 2011 while at LIU-Brooklyn.