Brewers acquire RHP Quinn Priester from Red Sox as they seek boost for injury-riddled pitching staff

Audio By Carbonatix

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester went from Boston to Milwaukee in a trade Monday that sends the Red Sox outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a competitive balance selection in the upcoming draft and a player to be named.

In a move announced later Monday, the Brewers got outfielder Daz Cameron from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for left-handed pitcher Grant Wolfram.

The addition of Priester gives some immediate help to a Brewers pitching staff decimated by injuries. Left-hander Nestor Cortes went on the injured list Sunday with a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, leaving Freddy Peralta as the only healthy pitcher among those projected to be in Milwaukee’s five-man rotation this season.

Boston adds a promising 19-year-old to its farm system and gets the 33rd overall pick in this year’s amateur draft.

Priester, 24, went 3-6 with a 4.71 ERA while making seven starts in 11 combined appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Red Sox last season. He had 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in 49 2/3 innings.

He also went 4-2 with a 4.38 ERA in 16 starts at the Triple-A level. He struck out six, walked nobody and allowed two runs and six hits over four innings in his lone start with Triple-A Worcester this season.

The Pirates selected Priester with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft. They traded him to the Red Sox last July for infielder Nick Yorke.

Rodriguez signed with the Brewers out of the Dominican Republic in 2023. He batted .250 with a .343 on-base percentage, seven homers and 60 RBIs in 110 games with Single-A Carolina last season. In three games with Single-A Wisconsin this year, Rodriguez batted .417 with a .462 on-base percentage.

Priester will report directly to the Brewers rather than going to the minors. The Brewers’ list of pitchers on the injured list includes Aaron Ashby, Aaron Civale, Robert Gasser, DL Hall, Nick Mears, Tobias Myers and Brandon Woodruff, as well as Cortes. Jose Quintana is working his way into pitching shape after signing a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Brewers during spring training.

The Brewers initially made room for Priester on the 40-man roster by designating Wolfram for assignment. Wolfram then got sent to the Orioles in a trade for Cameron, the son of former MLB outfielder Mike Cameron.

Cameron, 28, hit .200 with a .258 on-base percentage, five homers, 15 RBIs and five steals in 66 games with the Athletics last season. He owns a .201 batting average, .263 on-base percentage, 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 14 steals in 139 career games with the Detroit Tigers (2020-22) and Athletics.

He will report to the Brewers' Triple-A Nashville affiliate.

Wolfram, 28, has never pitched in the majors. He had pitched in the Texas Rangers' farm system from 2018-24 before the Brewers signed him as a free agent in December.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb