Brewers injury updates: Quinn Priester changes course, Jared Koenig starts rehab assignment

The Milwaukee Brewers are on a roll. Winners of 16 of their last 20 games, the Brewers have built a 4.5-game lead in the National League Central despite being in last place in the competitive division as recently as April 27. The Brew Crew has the fourth-best run differential in all of baseball and finally has their offense back to full strength after enduring much of the first month and a half of the campaign without the trio of Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, and Christian Yelich.

However, while Milwaukee's position player group is back to full strength and looking like a force to be reckoned with, the Brewers' pitching staff, which has been even better than their offense during this ongoing hot streak, is posting impressive numbers despite missing several key arms.

Veteran starter Brandon Woodruff is nearing a return to the rotation after more than a month on the IL due to shoulder inflammation that led to a "dead arm" incident back in late April. Left-handed relievers Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny are also nearing their returns as both are currently on rehab assignments with the Nashville Sounds. Meanwhile, 2025 breakout starter Quinn Priester has been out all season with an injury in the family of thoracic outlet syndrome, and his lack of improvement in the rehab process has the Brewers facing multiple difficult decisions.

Brewers move Quinn Priester's rehab assignment from Triple-A to the Arizona Complex League amid ongoing struggles

It's been a frustrating year for the 25-year-old Priester, who has dealt with a nerve issue in his right arm dating back to last August. The injury produces intermittent pain, leading Priester to feel great some days and believe that he's capable of returning to a big-league mound without surgery, which is generally required for these types of injuries.

Priester has felt good enough to make six rehab starts -- five in Triple-A and one in High-A -- this year, but the results indicate that he has a long way to go before he's back with the big-league club. In those six starts, Priester has covered 10 total innings and allowed 24 earned runs, resulting in a 21.60 ERA. A large reason for the lack of success is the 17 walks that Priester has issued, which seemingly indicates that he doesn't have a good feel of the baseball, suggesting the nerve issue is still impacting the feeling in his right arm.

While the Brewers have remained insistent that Priester will be able to recover from the injury without surgery this year, the right-hander's results indicate that more drastic measures may soon need to be taken. Earlier today, Milwaukee made what felt like a "last resort move" before surgery or a comparably significant decision is made. As reported by MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy, Priester's rehab assignment in Triple-A is coming to an end, and the starting pitcher will now head to the Brewers' complex in Arizona to compete with the organization's Rookie Ball affiliate.

Jared Koenig earns the win in first rehab assignment appearance with Triple-A Nashville Sounds

When reliever Jared Koenig landed on the IL with a left elbow sprain back in early April, there was concern that the injury could end up being very costly for the 32-year-old southpaw. However, Koenig, who has been one of Pat Murphy's go-to late-inning arms over the last two seasons, is nearing a return back to the Brewers' bullpen after beginning a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds last night.

Koenig tossed the sixth inning for the Sounds last night and surrendered a leadoff triple which came around to score. However, Koenig tossed just 10 pitches, eight of which were strikes, and earned the win as the Sounds took the lead in the bottom of the frame and maintained it through the end of the game.

The biggest question mark that Koenig will have to answer during his rehab assignment is: can he get his velocity back to its 2025 levels? The southpaw struggled with velocity throughout Spring Training, and it seeped into the regular season. In last night's game, Koenig lived in the low 90s with his sinker and cutter, which is slightly concerning, though he did reach 95 mph with his four-seam and threw one sinker that registered at 94 mph.

The Brewers aren't likely to rush Koenig's return, so the southpaw should have plenty of time to build back up to his previous velocity, but it will certainly be something to monitor as his stint with the Nashville Sounds continues.

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