Brewers' 2025 draft pick continues remarkable journey with late-season promotion

Every year, baseball produces its share of feel-good stories. For the Milwaukee Brewers, left-handed pitching prospect Franke Cairone’s improbable return to the mound has emerged as one of the most remarkable.

The Brewers’ 2025 No. 68 overall pick was involved in a terrifying car crash in January. Per Cairone himself, he was left uncertain whether he would ever walk or talk again. Months after re-learning activities of daily living, Cairone remarkably headed to the Brewers' Arizona Complex to resume baseball activities, and made his triumphant return to the mound during an Arizona Complex League game on July 2.

Now two months after making his professional debut, and just nine months after a life-altering car accident, Cairone has earned a promotion to Low-A, where he will join the Wilson Warbirds for the final weeks of the 2026 season. The outstanding news was reported by minor league insider Chase Ford.

Milwaukee Brewers' pitching prospect Frank Cairone is being promoted to Low-A

Although Cairone appeared in just four games for the ACL Brewers, where his 5.1 innings weren't exactly clean on the stat sheet as he has allowed three earned runs, walked seven batters, and hit three more, the 18-year-old left-hander did record seven strikeouts in the small sample size and the organization now wants to see what he can do at the Low-A level for the remainder of the 2026 season.

The promotion -- the latest chapter in Cairone's remarkable 2026 campaign -- is a testament to the resilience and hard work that the young southpaw has shown over the last nine months. For a time, it was unclear whether Cairone would ever pitch again, making his return to the mound and promotion to Low-A all the more meaningful. At the same time, the opportunity offers a glimpse at what could be his likely starting point in 2027, which will be just his age-19 season.

For Cairone, the numbers in his brief stint with the ACL Brewers definitely do not tell the full story of his 2026 season. The fact that he is back on a mound, competing again and now getting an opportunity to face Low-A hitters, is an accomplishment in itself. Whatever comes next in his career, simply having the chance to keep chasing his dream is something worth celebrating.

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