Brewers injury news: Henderson's Triple-A start, Priester’s timeline, Zastryzny rehabbing

The Milwaukee Brewers endured one of the most brutal strings of injuries at the beginning of the 2025 season. Losing pitcher after pitcher to the injured list, Milwaukee was forced to dive into their depth before the first fortnight of the regular season had concluded.

This year, the Brewers are once again falling victim to the injury bug in the early goings of the regular season. Lineup regulars Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn landed on the injured list before the calendar flipped to April, the former with a hairline fracture in his left hand, and the latter with a broken hamate bone that has now been surgically repaired.

However, before Chourio and Vaughn both went down with injuries to their left hands, the Brewers suffered a few injuries to their pitching staff in the final weeks of the spring exhibition season. Though the Brewers have the pitching depth to weather the storm in the meantime, having each of these three names in the mix will only help Milwaukee fill 1,458 innings or so that need to be covered over the course of a 162-game season. Thankfully, they are all progressing well and hope to be back in the fold in the near future. Let's take a closer look at where each of them stands in their rehab processes.

Logan Henderson shines in first 2026 start with Triple-A Nashville Sounds

Right-handed starter Logan Henderson doesn't technically hold an injury designation as things stand on April 2. However, part of the reason that the 24-year-old, who debuted in 2025 but maintains his rookie status this year, missed out on the Opening Day roster is that he suffered a bout of elbow soreness in early March.

After experiencing inflammation in his right elbow in August of last year, the Brewers were extra careful with Henderson in Spring Training, knowing that his long-term health matters far more than him being available to start the 2026 season. As a result, Henderson's build-up was slowed, and the Brewers informed him that he would start the year in Triple-A with the Nashville Sounds as he gets back to full strength.

Henderson made his first appearance of the 2026 season with the Sounds on Tuesday night, and it's safe to say the right-hander impressed. He tossed three innings, surrendered just one hit and one walk, and struck out five opposing hitters. Henderson threw just 45 pitches in the outing, so he's not yet built up to a full starter's workload, but it's clear that his arsenal is ready for an extended stay at the big-league level once the opportunity presents itself.

Quinn Priester headed to Arizona for live BP sessions, hoping to start rehab assignment in early April

The biggest blow to the Brewers' early-season rotation plans was losing right-hander Quinn Priester to the injured list with symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome -- a nerve issue that has caused discomfort throughout his right arm. Priester first encountered the injury last August, but was able to manage it through the end of the 2025 season. However, when the discomfort didn't improve throughout the offseason, Priester sought a second opinion, and that's when the true nature of the injury was revealed.

Like Henderson, Priester's long-term health is the priority, so the Brewers were extra cautious with the 2025 breakout pitcher throughout the course of Spring Training. When his diagnosis was revealed, it became clear that Priester would start the 2026 season on the injured list, but hope remains that it will be a relatively short stint for the 25-year-old.

As things stand on April 2, Priester is headed down to the Brewers' complex in Arizona for several live batting practice sessions before he begins a rehab assignment. The hope is that said rehab assignment will begin during the early parts of April, which would put Priester on track to return sometime around May 1, but as previously alluded to, the Brewers don't want to take any chances with their talented right-hander. Even still, the fact that Priester is already set to face live hitters is no doubt an encouraging sign for Brewers fans.

Rob Zastryzny posts scoreless inning in first rehab outing with Triple-A Nashville Sounds

Joining Henderson in Nashville's pitching lineup on Tuesday night was left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny, who is starting the 2026 season on the IL after suffering a shoulder strain while pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. The southpaw tossed a 14-pitch scoreless inning for the Sounds, surrendering one hit and collecting one strikeout in the process.

Zastryzny, who is out of minor league options, was essentially a lock to make the Brewers' Opening Day bullpen before it was revealed in mid-March that he was dealing with the shoulder strain. He is set to make a few more appearances for the Nashville Sounds before joining the big-league roster, but as things currently stand, it will be a difficult decision in regard to who he will replace in the Brewers' bullpen.

All four lefties in the Brewers' bullpen -- Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Jared Koenig, and Ángel Zerpa -- have looked excellent to start the year. Meanwhile, Jake Woodford, the most recent addition to the 'pen who is seemingly lowest on the depth chart, has a far different profile from Zastryzny. Woodford is a right-handed, potential multi-inning option, meaning the one-inning, southpaw, Zastryzny, would be an odd replacement for him in the big-league 'pen.

Additionally, Woodford is out of minor league options, so removing him from the bullpen would mean the Brewers' designating him for assignment shortly after trading pitching prospect K.C. Hunt to acquire him from the Tampa Bay Rays. Generally, these things have a way of working themselves out, but it's notable that Zastryzny doesn't have a clear spot in the Brewers' bullpen as his rehab assignment gets underway.