MILWAUKEE — Right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester is going from Boston to Milwaukee in a trade that sends the Red Sox outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a competitive balance selection in the upcoming draft and a player to be named.
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 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 made room for Priester on the 40-man roster by designating left-hander Grant Wolfram for assignment.
