Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester will undergo season-ending thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Monday in Dallas, officially sidelining him for the remainder of the 2026 campaign. Surgeon Dr. Gregory Pearl will perform the procedure, which involves the removal of the first upper rib on Priester’s right side. He faces an eight to 10-month recovery window.
Priester struggled with nerve compression issues since spring training and attempted various non-surgical rehabilitation methods over the past few months. The control issues stemming from the syndrome persisted during a recent minor league rehab assignment. Across five starts, Priester logged a 15.75 ERA with 24 walks and four hit batters in just 16 innings.
The injury halts the momentum of a breakout 2025 season where Priester established himself as a high-end starter. He went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA across 157 1/3 innings, making 29 appearances and 24 starts. His performance was instrumental in guiding Milwaukee to the National League Championship Series before the team fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Priester will spend the entire 2026 season on the 60-day injured list. He will continue to accrue major league service time during his recovery. He is expected to finish the season with 2.134 years of service time, putting him right on the bubble for Super Two arbitration eligibility this coming winter.
With Priester out for the year, the Brewers are forced to adjust the top of their rotation. The front office and coaching staff will lean heavily on Cy Young candidate Jacob Misiorowski and left-hander Kyle Harrison to anchor the pitching staff moving forward.