MILWAUKEE -- Quinn Priester’s second rehab start with Triple-A Nashville looked better in the box score than the first -- but the strike zone remains elusive.
Priester, who is on the injured list recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, didn’t allow a hit or a run and struck out a pair over 2 1/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville on Sunday in the Sounds’ series finale in Charlotte. But after walking three batters and hitting another in his season debut on Wednesday -- and seeing all four of those runners score -- Priester walked three more batters on Sunday and found the strike zone with only 18 of his 45 pitches.
He topped out at 92 mph after averaging 93.2 mph with his sinker in the Majors with the Brewers last season.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said last week that Priester would make at least three rehab starts before the club considers reinstating him to the Major League rotation, but now it seems more likely that Priester will need longer than that. A rehab assignment can last as long as 30 days for a pitcher.
“He’s in Triple-A and that might have been aggressive without Spring Training, sending him to Triple-A to start his work,” Murphy said on Saturday. “The results are not what we’re looking for. We’re looking for how he performs and how his mechanics come together and how he executes pitches over time.
“Like I said to you last time, I think it’s going to be a while. You’ve got to have a whole Spring Training. There’s no sense rushing it. It's always about the player first, his well being. I don’t mean that we should always be conservative, by any stretch, but it’s what’s best for a player.”