Overview
- Priester confirmed Thursday that he will undergo thoracic outlet decompression (first-rib removal) on Monday in Dallas with surgeon Dr. Gregory Pearl, a move that removes him from the 2026 roster.
- The procedure targets neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve pinch between the collarbone and first rib that can cause shoulder pain, numbness, weakness and loss of throwing control.
- Priester and team doctors tried non-surgical treatments and multiple rehab assignments, but his outings produced extreme control problems — 24 walks, 18 strikeouts and a 15.75 ERA in 16 innings across rehab stops — which prompted the decision for surgery.
- Medical staff expect about three months before Priester can return to throwing and roughly eight to ten months before he is game-ready, a timeline that makes him available, at best, for 2027 spring training.
- The Brewers must fill his rotation innings with other young starters such as Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, and Priester said he hopes to come back stronger after a process he described as physically and mentally challenging, with Zack Wheeler’s earlier recovery noted as an encouraging precedent.