Brewers Manager Lays Out Quinn Priester Return Timeline

The Milwaukee Brewers' starting rotation hasn't been at full strength yet this season and that isn't going to change in the short term.

On Wednesday, Quinn Priester, who has been on the Injured List due to thoracic outlet syndrome, began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville. The expectation was that Priester would go about three innings in the contest, but things didn't work out in that way. Priester pitched just 2/3 of an inning and allowed four earned runs and walked three batters. Priester tossed 29 pitches in the outing, but it just didn't go his way.

Before the start, it already was expected that this wouldn't be some sort of quick return. Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged that it was "encouraging news" that Priester was going to be able to pitch on Wednesday, but also said that it would be "a while" before the young starter was ready to go, as shared by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"Quinn Priester is scheduled for 3 innings and 45-50 pitches [Wednesday] at Charlotte," Rosiak wrote. "As for how quickly Priester might progress, Pat Murphy said, 'I think it's still going to be a while. I don't think we can get our hopes up too high. ... I still think it's encouraging news.'"

The Brewers Hurler Is Working His Way Back

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Quinn Priester (46) throws in the bullpen during spring training workouts Sunday, February 15, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com noted that the "tentative plan" is that Priester could return as soon as the second week of May if all goes well down in the minors.

Last season, there were few trades that were bigger steals than Priester. The Brewers acquired Priester from the Boston Red Sox early in the season when their rotation was littered with injuries. Priester spent time down in Triple-A for Boston, but the Brewers gave him a real shot and he made the most of it.

Priester made 29 appearances for the Brewers in 2025, including 24 starts, and logged a 3.32 ERA in 157 1/3 innings pitched. On top of this, he actually led the league with an .813 win percentage after going 13-3 on the mound.

When Priester pitched, the Brewers found success. Milwaukee has done a good job, of course, this season finding the next man up to help mitigate the loss. But this club will be a better team when Priester is ready to roll. Unfortunately, his first rehab appearance didn't go well. With pitchers, minor league rehab assignments can last up to 30 days.

Over these next few weeks, he'll be worth watching down in Triple-A to see if he can get ready to return, or if he'll need to be optioned after the window closes. For Milwaukee, the best-case scenario would be Priester returning to the big leagues during this 30-day window and picking up right where he left off.

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