Brewers Rotation Takes Big Hit: Quinn Priester Out for 2026 Season

The Milwaukee Brewers haven't had Quinn Priester available for a start yet this season and unfortunately, that will continue to be the case for the remainder of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

Priester has been dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome and has been trying to recover and work his way through without surgery. Unfortunately, the season hasn't gone as planned and Priester will undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery, which is season-ending.

The news broke on Thursday morning and MLB.com's Adam McCalvy shared a clip to X of Priester talking about the need for surgery and next steps.

The Brewers Starter Will Miss The 2026 Season

Oct 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Quinn Priester (46) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning during game three of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

"Talking to Dr. Pearl again," Priester said. "Doing all the things we had gone through to try to fix this problem without surgery. We just kind of got to the point where these things aren't working. So, we're going to go down on Monday and get surgery with Dr. Pearl. Make sure we clean this issue up. So that the rest of my career, this isn't an issue. I think 10 years ago, this was more of a question mark, but now as things progress, like everything in the medical field, I feel really, really confident that we're going to come back even better. ...

"Eight to 10 weeks and then we'll throw plyos," Priester continued about the recovery. "12 weeks, light catch. Then, it's a buildup after that three-month period of baseball. Essentially, what we've seen other people is in the eight to 10 month range before you're really back at 100 percent physically. Just recovering and building the arm back up. But I'm confident with my body, and I'm still a pretty young guy to make that, that to be able to make that a little quicker.

Brewers starter Quinn Priester will have thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Monday and will miss the entirety of this season. Here’s a detailed explanation for why he has no regrets about waiting this long to get to this point. pic.twitter.com/QEyuwToxyW
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) June 18, 2026

This is unfortunate luck for a young hurler with plenty of promise and upside. Priester came over to Milwaukee in 2025 in a trade with the Boston Red Sox and was excellent. He pitched in 29 games and had a 3.32 ERA and a 13-3 record. This season, he made a handful of appearances down in the minors on rehab assignments, but clearly was impacted by the thoracic outlet syndrome.

It's a tricky and difficult injury, to say the least. For the surgery, a rib will need to be removed to relieve pressure on blood vessels and nerves. The most recent success story of the surgery is Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies. His season was cut short in 2025 and he had surgery in August. He didn't make his season debut in 2026 until April 25, but has looked like a star since. He has a 2.01 ERA in 10 starts. Hopefully, Priester can have similar luck.

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