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Milwaukee Brewers' Closer Dealing with Back Issue, Team Options Top Prospect to Triple-A

The Milwaukee Brewers sent top prospect Jeferson Quero to minor league camp on Sunday. They are also sending closer Devin Williams to see a spine specialist as he deals with a sore back.

Brady Farkas

Milwaukee Brewers' Closer Dealing with Back Issue, Team Options Top Prospect to Triple-A
Milwaukee Brewers' Closer Dealing with Back Issue, Team Options Top Prospect to Triple-A /
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The Milwaukee Brewers made multiple significant announcements on Sunday. 

First, they are sending closer Devin Williams to see a spine specialist. Secondly, top prospect Jeferson Quero was optioned to Triple-A.

With regards to Williams, from Curtis Hogg:

Devin Williams has a sore back and is headed to get a second opinion from a spine specialist this week. It’s flared up this spring and while the Brewers aren’t overly concerned at this point they are going to be cautious with it.

The 29-year-old Williams is immensely important to what the Brewers do, especially after the team got rid of Josh Hader in 2022. He went 8-3 last season with a miniscule 1.53 ERA, saving 36 games. Lifetime, he's 26-10 with a 1.89 ERA. He's made at least 58 appearances in each of the last three seasons.

With regards to Quero, also from Hogg:

Jeferson Quero and Chris Roller have been optioned to Triple-A. Bradley Blalock optioned to Double-A. Wes Clarke, Sam Carlson, Evan McKendry, Tobias Myers and Carlos Rodriguez all reassigned to minor league camp.

Entering 2024, he's the No. 35 prospect in all of baseball. The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

Quero won a well-deserved 2023 Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove Award as he’s developed into arguably the Minors’ best defensive catcher. His receiving and blocking – aided by his right-knee-down positioning – can be top-notch, and his framing can look as smooth as it gets. His arm strength and quick reactions behind the plate also helped him throw out 34.6 percent of attempted Double-A basestealers, and those skills should help him limit opposing running games at a time when steals are taking off across baseball.

While the right-handed slugger did struggle with chasing some sliders and changeups in the Southern League, Quero still projects for average hit and power tools with the capability to pull homers down the left-field line and spray doubles the opposite way.

The Brewers won the National League Central in 2023 but have undergone a transition this offseason, trading Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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