Quinn Priester's rotation spot in jeopardy with talented prospects waiting in the wings

To say that Friday night's loss to the Chicago Cubs was awful would be an understatement. It was a complete disaster for the Milwaukee Brewers, who had lost the contest before the game reached the third frame. Nothing worked for the Crew. Tyler Alexander struggled in the opener role, the offense went dormant, and recent trade acquisition Quinn Priester allowed seven earned runs in his 4.1 innings of work.

After two impressive performances to begin his Brewers tenure, Priester has now gone three straight starts without having his best stuff. He's allowed 14 earned runs across those three games, while walking nine batters and striking out just six. It's clear, from his first two starts, that Priester possesses some intriguing tools that could lead him to be an important part of the Brewers' rotation in years to come. But for now, Priester might be better served ironing out his new pitch arsenal, one that features a heavier dose of cutters and a lower percentage of curveballs, in Triple-A.

Thankfully, the Brewers have several options in Triple-A waiting for their next (or first) shot at the big leagues. With Brandon Woodruff still not quite ready for his return to MLB, it's fair to assume that one of these options will be replacing Priester in the Brewers' rotation the next time his spot comes up.

Logan Henderson, Carlos Rodríguez, and Jacob Misiorowski are all viable candidates to replace Quinn Priester in the Brewers' rotation

Logan Henderson

Starting with Henderson, who made his MLB debut on April 20th, before being quickly optioned back down to Triple-A to make room in the rotation for Tobias Myers. Henderson allowed just one earned run in six innings in his debut against the Athletics, striking out nine batters in the process. Since being demoted back to Triple-A, Henderson hasn't missed a step; he's made two starts and gone six innings and only allowed one run in each of them.

Additionally, Henderson is already on the Brewers' 40-man roster, so getting him back into the rotation would be as simple as demoting Priester to Triple-A and calling Henderson up to the major league roster. Henderson appeared more than ready for the big leagues during his debut, and a promotion in the next few days should not come as a surprise to Brewers fans.

Carlos Rodríguez

Another option to replace Priester is one that Brewers fans might initially be opposed to, given his performance when he was called up a season ago. However, Carlos Rodríguez, the Brewers No. 22-ranked prospect, has revamped his pitch arsenal and is posting eye-popping numbers in Triple-A for the Nashville Sounds. In six starts this year, Rodríguez has posted a 1.26 ERA while striking out more than one batter per inning pitched. He's allowed just one home run in 28.2 innings, which was something he struggled with at the major-league level last year.

Rodríguez maintains the 40-man roster spot that he was awarded a season ago, meaning his promotion would be similar to Henderson's in that it wouldn't require the Brewers to designate someone for assignment or place a player on the 60-day IL. He's shown an ability to make the necessary adjustments to his repertoire, and with the results to back it up, don't be surprised if Rodríguez is the one to grab a spot start or two while the Brewers wait for their proven rotation options to return from injury.

Jacob Misiorowski

Finally, Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers’ top pitching prospect, is having an incredible start to the 2025 season, despite a rocky spring training with the Brewers in big league camp. If you aren't familiar with the 6'7" flamethrower, you are missing out. Milwaukee drafted "Miz" in 2022 with the 63rd overall pick, and he has dazzled ever since. He has worked mainly in a starter role, though he did briefly move to the bullpen at the end of last season in anticipation of a possible September call-up, which ultimately did not come to fruition.

In 2025, with Triple-A Nashville, Misiorowski has appeared in five games, starting four, and dazzling in most of those appearances. In his most recent appearance, he went five innings, scattering just three hits and striking out nine. Most importantly, his command, which has been one of his biggest inconsistencies, has shown great improvement, as he's only walked one batter over his last 11 innings. For his efforts, Misiorowski was named the International League's Pitcher of the Week on April 28th, his second nod for the award this season.

The one major roadblock to Misiorowski's MLB debut is that he doesn't currently hold a spot on the Brewers' 40-man roster. With no clear DFA candidate, Miz might have to wait a while before the stars align and he can get his shot at the big leagues.

Regardless of who gets the call, it's likely that the Brewers will opt for a change the next time Priester's spot in the rotation comes up, which would likely be next Wednesday's series finale against the Houston Astros. Priester will certainly factor into the team's rotation again at some point this season, and, even more importantly, in the next few years to come when the team loses its many proven options, but for now, a stint in the minor leagues feels inevitable.