Quinn Priester’s continued rehab assignment struggles foreshadow difficult Brewers decision

It's hard to find the negatives in what's been such a positive start to the year for the Milwaukee Brewers, but despite the team's success, the injury bug has not been especially kind to them. Quinn Priester, the affable right-hander who stunned everyone last year with a brilliant campaign after coming over in an early-season trade with the Boston Red Sox, has hit a crossroads.

He was just eviscerated in his most recent rehab start, recording only two outs while allowing three earned runs and three walks. His velocity was down (again), and he looked nothing like the pitcher who took the league by storm in 2025.

This marks the continuation of a disastrous rehab assignment for the 25-year-old, who has now allowed 24 runs, 19 hits, and 17 walks across six starts that have covered just 10 total innings. He's no closer to returning to the Brewers now than he was a month ago.

Perhaps it's for the best if the team shuts him down and takes a chance to reevaluate their options.

Quinn Priester would only hurt the Brewers by continuing to pitch on his rehab assignment

What he's trying to do -- pitch through thoracic outlet syndrome -- is valiant. But the Brewers aren't desperate for healthy pitchers at the moment. They can afford to be patient with Priester.

At best, Priester can grit and grind his way through the pain, finding enough juice on his pitches to maybe approach league-average production upon a return to Milwaukee. That has value, but better health for Brandon Woodruff and Logan Henderson would overshadow that version of him.

In a worst-case scenario, Priester pushes himself too far and needs shoulder surgery or a similar procedure, wiping out his offseason and perhaps even the start of next year.

That should be considered an untenable outcome. The Brewers, set to lose Woodruff in free agency next winter, will need Priester to be healthy. If it means shutting him down for the foreseeable future (or even the whole season), so be it.

Even if he does keep trying to pitch through this injury, nothing suggests he's close to being ready for the big leagues again. His velocities are down, his spin rates have declined, and the things he was great at last year (limiting hard contact and free passes) have completely escaped his grasp in the minors.

We obviously don't know the extent of his injury, nor how the team is mapping out his progression. But we can see that he's a mess on the mound and almost certainly developing bad habits while trying to deliver sustainable production with a frustrating injury hampering him. If the Brewers have to punt on his 2026 season to save him, that's a trade-off the team should be willing to make.

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