Brewers Facing Trade Decision After Season-Ending News
Seeking a fourth straight victory on Thursday, the Milwaukee Brewers are continuing to build momentum in the 2026 MLB season. Entering Thursday's series finale against the Cleveland Guardians, the Brewers lead the National League Central and currently carry a 45-26 record, a franchise record for wins through a season's first 71 games.
Much of the Brewers' success can be attributed to one of baseball's elite pitching staffs. Milwaukee boasts an elite pair of starting pitchers that have dominated throughout the club's franchise-record start to the year. 24-year-old Jacob Misiorowski currently leads all qualified pitchers with a 1.34 ERA and 131 strikeouts, while offseason trade acquisition Kyle Harrison is having a breakout season, carrying a 2.47 ERA with 80 strikeouts.
However, this Brewers pitching staff has been missing one of their most intriguing young starters for the entire 2026 season. Right-hander Quinn Priester has yet to appear in a game for the Brewers this season as he was attempting to work his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome.
After attempting other forms of rehabilitation, Priester will undergo season-ending thoracic outlet decompression surgery in hopes of getting him back to 100% for the 2027 MLB season.
On Tuesday, MLB.com reporter Adam McCalvy posted to X and shared comments from Priester regarding the decision to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery.
"You know, 10 years ago this was a little bit more of a question mark, but now, as things progress like anything in the medical field, I feel really, really confident that we're going to come back even better, clean some of this stuff up," Priester shared with reporters on Thursday.
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
Priester last played for the Brewers during his breakout 2025 season, where he posted a 13-3 record with an ERA of 3.32 and 132 strikeouts. Although he did not appear for the Brewers this season, the injury still has implications for a club with World Series aspirations.
As the trade deadline approaches on August 3, Milwaukee's front office must now determine whether its current pitching depth is sufficient for a potential postseason run or whether outside help is needed.
Whether the Brewers ultimately pursue another starter remains to be seen, however, they have reportedly been linked to two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.
While Milwaukee's rotation has remained among the best in baseball despite Priester's absence, the organization must decide whether to make an addition to an already elite pitching staff.
Related: Brewers Facing Trade Decision After Willy Adames Report
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 1:02 PM.