Brewers pause rehab stint for Quinn Priester, who remains on injured list

LAS VEGAS – Quinn Priester ’s road back from thoracic outlet syndrome has encountered another detour, as the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, June 11 returned the right-hander from his minor-league rehab assignment.

The move comes on the heels of Priester's second start for the Brewers' entry in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, which saw him allow three earned runs on a hit and five walks while also hitting a batter over 2 ⅔ innings.

The good news was, according to the Brewers, Priester performed "without physical complaint."

The bad news, of course, was he made no great strides forward during his time in Phoenix and Priester's next scheduled outing of five innings and 70-75 pitches scheduled for June 13 has now been scuttled as he presumably returns to Milwaukee to discuss next steps with the Brewers and their medical staff.

"It doesn't bode well to be ready to pitch in the major leagues," said manager Pat Murphy the day after Priester's last outing. "The movement he has on the ball might be a reason why he's walking people, or his receiving or he was dealing with the elements.

"I think he's still a ways away, but I think it's trending in the right direction in that he felt really good, didn't feel any pain at all. So now, it's a matter of getting that feeling back (in his fingers)."

Priester has now pitched five rehab games at Class AAA Nashville, two in Arizona and one at Class High A Wisconsin. In 16 total innings he's posted a 15.75 ERA, a 2.88 WHIP, walked 24 batters, hit four batters and thrown six wild pitches with 18 strikeouts.

In that June 10 discussion, Murphy was asked if there will come a point in time where the Brewers will need to seriously reassess Priester's trajectory and begin discussing other options such as surgery.