Brewers' rookie starting pitcher lands on IL with worrisome injury

The Milwaukee Brewers have managed to build a 4.0-game lead in the National League Central through the first two months of the 2026 season despite featuring a short-handed starting rotation for the entirety of the campaign.

2025 breakout right-hander Quinn Priester has yet to make his 2026 debut amid a frustrating recovery process from a thoracic outlet syndrome-related injury. Priester's situation doesn't appear to be improving as the Brewers removed him from his current rehab assignment and placed him back on the injured list. Pat Murphy said earlier today that the team is currently "reevaluating everything" when it comes to Priester, suggesting that the worst-case scenario -- the 25-year-old missing the entire season -- is on the table.

Meanwhile, veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff and rookie right-hander Logan Henderson both currently reside on the injured list, but are expected to return in the somewhat near future. Woody's timeline continues to be pushed back as he works back from a "dead arm" incident that he experienced back in late April, but could rejoin the rotation as early as the Brewers' upcoming series against the Cleveland Guardians, which begins on Monday. Meanwhile, Henderson, who is dealing with a lower back injury, is expected back in early July.

With an already short-handed rotation, the Brewers have been forced to turn to rookies Shane Drohan and Coleman Crow in recent weeks, as well as southpaw Robert Gasser, who has limited big-league experience. However, just moments ago the Brewers' rotation picture became even more dire as the team announced that Crow has been placed on the 15-day IL with a flexor strain -- a scary injury for any young pitcher, but especially for one who has dealt with elbow injuries in the past. Right-handed reliever Craig Yoho has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville to fill Crow's spot on the roster.

Brewers' rookie starting pitcher Coleman Crow lands on IL with foreboding flexor strain injury

"Flexor strains," which involve a strain of the flexor muscles in a player's forearm, are scary because they can lead to instability in the elbow, which could then result in a tearing or strain of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) -- an injury that generally requires Tommy John surgery. Just last year, several Brewers experienced flexor strains. Trevor Megill suffered the injury in late August, rehabbed and returned before the postseason, and, other than a slight velocity dip at the start of this year, hasn't had too many issues. Shelby Miller, on the other hand, had a flexor strain when the Brewers acquired him at the trade deadline. He rehabbed and returned to the mound in early August, and in early September suffered a UCL sprain, which required Tommy John surgery.

Crow, who, other than one poor start against the San Francisco Giants, was off to an encouraging start to his major league career, underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2023 before he was traded to the Brewers. The rehab process forced him to miss much of the 2023 and the 2024 campaign, but when he returned, he was still the dominant pitching prospect he had been before the injury.

Pat Murphy and the Brewers have yet to comment on the severity of the injury, but the hope is obviously that the strain is not severe, not indicative of elbow issues, and will require a brief stint on the injured list. With three key starters in Woodruff, Priester, and Henderson already on the IL, the Brewers can ill-afford a lengthy stint on the IL for Crow. More to come.

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