(MLB.com)
Easton McGee has signed a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers after his release from the Seattle Mariners.
The club announced the two-year minor league deal on Tuesday night. McGee is recovering from Tommy John surgery in May.
The former Mr. Baseball from Hopkinsville High School took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his first MLB start on April 29, getting the no decision in a 1-0 Seattle loss at Toronto.
McGee retired the first 12 batters he faced before a walk to Matt Chapman to begin the fifth inning. He threw only 64 pitches and struck out two.
The Mariners said McGee was the first pitcher in team history to make a start of 6.2 scoreless innings while allowing one hit or less within his first two career games.
However, the start would be his only appearance for the Mariners as arm discomfort led to the discovery that season-ending surgery was needed.
The 25-year-old McGee was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He advanced through the Rays’ system, making it to Triple-A Durham in 2022. He made his MLB debut on Oct. 2, 2022, against the Astros, throwing three scoreless innings of relief.
He was designated for assignment the next day. The Boston Red Sox signed him three days later and sent him to Seattle a month later for cash considerations.
McGee was 3-0 with a 3.14 ERA for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in 2023. He had struck out 24 in 28 innings of work.
According to Baseballreference.com, McGee is the first Hopkinsville-born player to appear in the Major Leagues. There were several from Christian County, including Pemboke’s Frank Warfield, who played in the Negro Leagues.
The silver lining is the move brings McGee closer to home. The Nashville Sounds are Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate and the likely home for McGee’s later rehab assignments.
