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Brewers veteran pitcher's injury worse than initially thought

José Quintana's shoulder injury is bad enough for an IL stint
ByOwen Jonas|
May 3, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) reacts after giving up back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
May 3, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) reacts after giving up back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers simply can't catch a break right now. Just days after learning that Brandon Woodruff's long-awaited return to the starting rotation would be delayed at least a week, another Brewers starter is heading to the IL. José Quintana, who was reportedly suffering from left shoulder fatigue, has been placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to May 11.

The Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Curt Hogg, reported that Quintana threw a bullpen session ahead of Wednesday's series finale with the Cleveland Guardians. Apparently, that session did not go as planned, and Quintana was subsequently placed on the IL with a shoulder impingement.

It's another tough blow for the Brewers, who have been dealing with starting pitching injuries all season. Since making his Brewers debut in the second week of April after an extended spring training, Quintana has been one of the steadiest arms in the Brewers’ decimated rotation. In six starts, Quintana has covered 34 innings and posted a 2.65 ERA. With Quintana heading to the IL, Tobias Myers, who was optioned to Triple-A just three days ago and didn't even make a start for the Nashville Sounds, is already back with the major league roster and will likely start for them this coming weekend.

Brewers could be punished for premature demotion of Tobias Myers

As mentioned in yesterday's article detailing the promotion of Logan Henderson, Myers was optioned to Triple-A in anticipation of Woodruff's return. However, Woodruff's return wasn't guaranteed at the time, and now after his new ankle injury and the shoulder injury to Quintana, the Brewers are all of a sudden down a man in their starting rotation. As a result, Myers is back with the big league club without making an appearance in Triple-A.

The main concern with this series of roster moves is risking the burning of one of Myers’ minor league option years. Though Myers would have to spend 20 full days on the minor league roster in order for this to happen, sending him down when it's not necessary increases the risk. The importance of this move is dependent on how much roster flexibility the Brewers will need from Myers in the next few years. If he remains the pitcher that he was in 2024, it won't matter whether or not he even has minor league option years remaining because they won't be used. But if Myers struggles at some point in the future, not having the option to send him to Triple-A to work things out could come back to bite the Brewers.

No one could have foreseen the injuries to Quintana and Woodruff, or that they would be severe enough for them each to land on the IL. Rather, today's most recent roster move simply marks another installment of bad luck for the 2025 Brewers, who just can't seem to catch a break. However, waiting to send Myers down to Triple-A until at least Monday morning, after Woodruff's ankle injury arose, could have lessened the impact of this series of moves.

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