The Milwaukee Brewers are on MLB's mountaintop after finally getting their breakthrough — winning the first World Series title in franchise history after a hard-fought five-game series against another franchise that hadn't yet won a World Series in the Tampa Bay Rays. A big part of the Brewers' run to the title was the play of relief pitcher Aaron Ashby, who was incredible all postseason long.

Ashby emerged as Brewers manager Pat Murphy's most trusted reliever, and for good reason. In nine postseason appearances (18 innings), he did not allow a single run. In fact, he only allowed eight baserunners, and his presence was as close to a guarantee of victory as it got.

And it looks as though a major promotion could be in the cards for the 28-year-old lefty. Even though he was elite in a bullpen role in the postseason, there is a chance that the Brewers deploy Ashby as a starter — with former MLB general manager Jim Bowden revealing his exchange with Milwaukee GM Matt Arnold.

“I keep trying to push Ashby to go to the rotation with the Brewers, and Pat Murphy said absolutely not when I was on the field in Game 5 of the World Series. But I did ask Matt Arnold that because I'm still trying to put him in the rotation behind [Jacob Misiorowski] and [Logan] Henderson. But he didn't say no. He kind of kept it open,” Bowden said on Foul Territory TV.

“Remember, Ashby wants to start.”

Aaron Ashby to the rotation? 👀@JimBowdenGM says Matt Arnold didn't say no…

"He kind of kept it open." pic.twitter.com/wwRmmx4eE9

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 11, 2026

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Ashby is a converted reliever, as he began his career as more of a starter for the Brewers. In 2022, he started in 19 of his 27 appearances for Milwaukee and put up a 4.44 ERA.

But after he missed the entire 2023 season with a shoulder injury, the Brewers brought him back as a reliever, and that's where he found a home. Starting is way different than coming off a bullpen, as pitching performance tends to dip the more times you go through the opposing batting order.

Nonetheless, if Ashby truly wants to start, he might have earned a say in the matter with his stellar postseason play.