Brewers No. 8 Prospect Facing Make-or-Break Year After Spring Training Cut

The 23-year-old has to quickly show he's big-league ready

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jeferson Quero (76) takes batting practice during spring training workouts Monday, February 17, 2025, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The road to Major League Baseball is far from a smooth one, and Milwaukee Brewers catching prospect Jeferson Quero has learned that the hard way.

Once considered a Top 50 prospect in the sport by most outlets, Quero's stock has taken a slight hit over the last two seasons, purely because he hasn't been on the field enough to raise it. Labrum surgery cost him virtually all of 2024, then he was limited to 69 games in the minors last year due to issues with his hamstring and non-throwing shoulder.

On Monday, the Brewers optioned Quero to Triple-A Nashville to begin the season, which was the expected move after the club signed veteran Gary Sánchez to a guaranteed contract last month. Nevertheless, the 23-year-old Quero now has a defined window of time to prove his future belongs in Milwaukee.

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Quero's last option year begins in two weeks

Quero can be freely sent back and forth between the minors and majors this season, so if he struggles upon making his major league debut, the Brewers don't have to worry yet about kicking him off the 40-man roster.

However, by next spring, if Quero isn't firmly established as one of the 13 position players the Brewers want on the opening day squad, he'd be in danger of going on waivers, which would open Milwaukee up to losing him to a club with more of an opportunity for him to take over.

In the midst of that pressure, Quero has received consistent support from manager Pat Murphy, who clearly still believes the youngster has major league talent.

"This might be a really special story, because I think he’s a special player," Murphy said in late February, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "I think even after the injury, he’s a special player."

Further complicating the situation is that starting catcher William Contreras, one of the best in the sport at his position, will hit free agency after next season, which in Brewers terms, means he'll likely be subject to trade rumors all next winter.