2026 Brewers Minor League Roundup: Week 5

Logan Henderson (No. 6): 8 1/3 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 12 K

Tate Kuehner: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Catching prospect Jeferson Quero had the best week of his season against the Charlotte Knights, hitting .435 with a pair of home runs and seven RBIs. That line includes a 4-for-7 performance on Sunday that brought his OPS for the season up to .766.

Outfielder Luis Lara (.347 batting average, 1.000 OPS) has been on a hot streak for basically the entire season. Coming into this season, his career-high for home in a season was four (over 110 games in High-A). His three home runs last week now put him at five through 26 games. Lara’s clearly in the middle of a breakout season and looks capable of holding his own in the majors. However, with the impending return of Jackson Chourio, the Brewers may opt to keep him in the minors to ensure he’s getting regular playing time.

Twenty-five-year-old infielder Eddys Leonard, signed to a minor league contract over the offseason, has quietly had a great start to the season. He had another solid week and is now hitting over .300 with a .973 OPS for the season. Cooper Pratt only went 6-for-28 (.214), but hit his first home run of the season.

Logan Henderson and Tate Kuehner both put together great outings this week, as has become standard for both pitchers. Quinn Priester made a pair of rehab appearances as he works his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome, logging three total innings. His first outing was rough — four runs in less than an inning — but he bounced back with a hitless, scoreless second appearance.

Priester’s command has been shaky since returning, but the other thing to watch right now is the velocity. His sinker has topped out around 91-92 mph, which is at least mildly concerning for a pitcher who doesn’t have a lot of velocity to lose. That said, it’s still early in the rehab process — too early to draw any firm conclusions.

Next week’s opponent: vs. Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles)

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (11-10)

Record this week: 4-2

Standout performances:

Damon Keith: 7-for-20, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K

Dylan O’Rae: 7-for-24, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K

Blake Burke (No. 17): 7-for-24, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K

Jesús Made (No. 1): 5-for-25, 2B, 4 BB, 4 K, 4 SB

Ryan Birchard: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 10 BB, 7 K

Bishop Letson (No. 8): 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Tyson Hardin (No. 18): 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Jesús Made had a bit of a down week against the Rocket City Trash Pandas, going 5-for-25 with a double. He did steal four bases while walking and striking out four times each. Nothing to see here. Same with Blake Burke, who had yet another great week. The slugging first baseman has a .965 OPS with seven home runs through 86 at-bats.

Former third-round pick Dylan O’Rae, who missed all of 2025 due to a wrist injury, continues to get on base for the Shuckers. He’s now hitting .338 with a .908 OPS over 77 at-bats this season.

Tyson Hardin had another solid outing, striking out nine batters through four innings. Ryan Birchard put together a wild stat line through two appearances; the 22-year-old righty went seven one-hit innings with seven strikeouts but walked 10 batters.

Highly-regarded pitching prospect Bishop Letson has had a rough go of it this season, as he currently holds a 10.24 ERA through his first four starts. Thankfully, this week’s outing seems to be a step in the right direction, although he’s still striking out significantly less batters than he did last season (over three less strikeouts per nine innings).

Next week’s opponent: @ Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins)

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (13-6)

Record this week: 5-1

Standout performances:

Braylon Payne (No. 13): 9-for-20, 2 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K

Andrew Fischer (No. 5): 6-for-23, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 10 K

Josh Adamczewski (No. 10): 8-for-18, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 1 K

Marco Dinges (No. 9): 9-for-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 3 K

Eric Bitonti (No. 25): 5-for-18, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K

Travis Smith: 1o IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Braylon Owens: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Wande Torres: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Bryce Meccage (No. 21): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

The offensive stats coming out of Appleton are insane, like they have been pretty much every week. 2024 first-round pick Braylon Payne hit four home runs, while 2025 first-round pick Andrew Fischer hit three. Josh Adamczewski, who hit four home runs of his own last week, went 8-for-18 and only struck out once. Marco Dinges nearly hit .500 while adding four extra-base hits and walking five times. Eric Bitonti had a solid week at the plate that included a home run. If you haven’t tuned into a T-Rats game this year, you’re missing out.

Wisconsin’s pitchers also showed up this week, as four different starting pitchers allowed two runs or less while going at least five innings. Braylon Owens put together the best outing of the week, going five shutout innings while allowing only hit and striking out six.

One notable absence from this week’s standout performers is MLB No. 21 overall prospect Luis Peña, who collapsed in the dugout during the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, where doctors determined that he had overheated. Peña was reportedly administered IV fluids and discharged early the next morning.

Brewers GM Matt Arnold said Thursday that it “sounds like he’s fine,” adding that the team will continue to monitor his condition. A scary moment, but fortunately it appears Peña avoided anything serious.

Next week’s opponent: vs. Quad Cities River Bandits (Kansas City Royals)

Single-A Wilson Warbirds (8-13)

Record this week: 2-4

Standout performances:

Frederi Montero: 8-for-22, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K

Filippo Di Turi: 5-for-17, 5 BB, 3 K

Brady Ebel (No. 14): 5-for-18, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K

Luis Lameda: 5-for-17, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K

Miqueas Mercedes: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 10 K

Thomas Conrad: 4 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K

Shortstop Frederi Montero, who the Brewers signed as a member of their 2024 international free agent class, led the Warbirds with a .364 batting average this week. Montero hit .265 with a .371 on-base percentage in the Arizona Complex League last year, although he’s hitting only .200 this year.

Montero was the only player who managed to top .300 this week. Filippo Di Turi, Brady Ebel, and Luis Lameda also put together solid weeks at the plate. The only two home runs came courtesy of Montero and outfielder José Anderson, who had just one other hit in 22 at-bats.

Right-hander Miqueas Mercedes has now put together a few great outings for Wilson, bringing his ERA down to 2.66. He allowed just one earned run over eight innings while striking out ten. Thomas Conrad allowed one run through two appearances (4 2/3 total innings pitched).

Next week’s opponent: vs. Salem RidgeYaks (Boston Red Sox)

Player of the Week

Braylon Payne, the Brewers’ 2024 first-round pick. Payne held his own in Single-A last year, slashing .240/.354/.382 with eight home runs in 288 at-bats, but he’s taken his game to another level this season. After this week’s performance, he’s already up to six home runs.

His standout tool has always been his speed; the expectation when he was drafted was that even if the power didn’t fully develop, he could still be a solid defender and on-base threat. Payne hinted at his potential with some solid exit velocities in Single-A last year. But with one of his recent home runs coming off the bat at 115 mph, the power is starting to look very real.

The most concerning part of his profile has been his strikeout rate, which sat at 30.1% in Low-A last year. It’s down to 24.5% so far this season, which — while not ideal — is still a clear step forward. Payne looks like he’s developing in real time, giving Brewers fans yet another prospect to be excited about. And he’s only 19!

Play of the Week

Josiah Ragsdale with a beautiful diving catch to take extra bases away from Padres’ prospect Zach Evans.