With his rehab assignment going poorly, the Brewers are sending right-hander Quinn Priester to the lowest level of the minor leagues. The injured starter will head to the team’s complex in Arizona to continue his recovery, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Priester is working his way back from symptoms related to thoracic outlet syndrome. He opened the regular season on the injured list.
Priester failed to get out of the first inning in his Wednesday start at Triple-A. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks. Priester has permitted 13 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings with Nashville this month. He also made an appearance with High-A Wisconsin, where he was pounded for seven earned runs while getting just four outs. Priester has a 21.60 ERA in six minor league starts.
“We just felt like he’s not getting anywhere in Triple-A right now,” manager Pat Murphy said, relayed by McCalvy. “He’s spinning his wheels a little bit, trying to find himself.”
Priester was diagnosed with a nerve issue in the spring. He’s avoided surgery up to this point. The decision to move Priester from Triple-A to Rookie ball will be the second time his rehab has had to be adjusted. His first rehab attempt was shuttered after three appearances. Priester hit two batters and walked eight more across five innings at Triple-A, prompting the pause. The control has not improved since he restarted his recovery. Priester has nine walks and a hit batter over his last three outings.
Milwaukee took a flyer on Priester last season, and it paid off handsomely. The righty had posted uninspiring results in his first two years as a big leaguer. The Brewers grabbed him in a minor trade with the Red Sox early in the 2025 campaign. He became a staple of the rotation with his new team. Priester tossed 157 1/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA. The righty leaned on a new cutter to go with his sinker and slider. The arsenal tweak had him looking like a mid-rotation arm moving forward.
With the shift to the Complex League, the club is looking to get Priester into a low-pressure environment in the hopes of helping him return to form. “We were wishful thinking when we thought he could go to Triple-A and just get it back,” Murphy said. The skipper added that building up Priester could take another month.
The Brewers have been without right-hander Brandon Woodruff since the end of April. Righty Logan Henderson went on the IL last week with a back injury. Milwaukee has covered the absences in the rotation with a mix that has included Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, and Coleman Crow. Patrick, in particular, has been effective, recording a 2.60 ERA over 45 innings.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
