Injuries are an inevitable part of baseball, especially when it comes to pitching. The Milwaukee Brewers were well aware of this risk when they traded their ace, Freddy Peralta, to the New York Mets. Now, with Quinn Priester's recent diagnosis, the Brewers are facing some tough questions about their rotation depth.
The team might be down 60% of their rotation from last year, depending on Brandon Woodruff's status for Opening Day. That’s a concern that has the front office on edge.
Pat Murphy shared some cautious optimism with MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, saying, “Often, thoracic outlet requires surgery. But in this case, we’re not there. We’re feeling like there’s a chance that he’s going to come through this.”
Priester himself seemed relieved to have a clear diagnosis. “I’m excited that we have a diagnosis that we can move through,” he told McCalvy. “We’ve kind of been dancing around what some of these issues were, and just to have a clear path forward is good.”
Priester recently threw lightly off a mound and is set for a more rigorous session on March 21. If all goes well, he’s eyeing a return in late April or early May, though he acknowledges that’s an optimistic timeline.
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a daunting diagnosis for any pitcher. It’s an injury that affects the arm from the collarbone to the wrist and has ended careers, like that of Matt Harvey.
However, the fact that Priester isn’t immediately opting for surgery and has medical approval to work through the issue is a positive sign. He also confirmed there’s no structural damage, suggesting this might be a manageable condition throughout his career.
Right now, there’s not much more information available. Some pitchers have managed similar injuries by adjusting their mechanics or arm angle, but there’s no guarantee those changes will help Priester. For now, Brewers fans and players can only hope for the best.
A quick return to the rotation would be ideal, especially with Woodruff behind schedule and Logan Henderson dealing with elbow soreness. While the Brewers have some depth, their pitching staff is undoubtedly stronger with a healthy Priester eating up innings.