Brewers promote C prospect Jeferson Quero, place IB Andrew Vaughn on IL

The Milwaukee Brewers recalled top catching prospect Jeferson Quero and placed first baseman Andrew Vaughn on the 10-day injured list prior to Saturday’s game against the visiting Chicago White Sox.

Vaughn fractured the hamate bone in his left hand on Opening Day and will undergo surgery on Monday, according to the club. Vaughn is forecasted to miss four to six weeks.

“I think it happened in my first at-bat,” Vaughn said Saturday. “I went home that night and felt kind of fine. My hand was a little sore. I woke up in the middle of the night and it was barking. It was like, ‘Something’s not right.’ …

“I definitely was (surprised). Usually people say when it happens, right away it stings. I think it could have been the adrenaline of Opening Day. Then it hit me: Something is definitely wrong.”

Vaughn, who turns 28 on Friday, had an RBI single in the sixth inning of the 14-2 victory. He is beginning his first full season with the Brewers since being acquired from the White Sox last June. He is a .253 hitter with 86 homers and 340 RBIs in 675 career games since reaching the majors in 2021.

Vaughn is the second key Milwaukee player sidelined due to a broken left hand. Young star Jackson Chourio is on the IL stemming from being hit by a pitch on March 4 when he was playing in an exhibition game for Venezuela ahead of the World Baseball Classic.

Quero, 23, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Brewers’ No. 8 overall prospect.

With William Contreras and Gary Sanchez handling catching duties to start the season for Milwaukee, Quero was sent to Triple-A Nashville, where he played one game and had a walk in four plate appearances.

In six minor league seasons, the Venezuela native is a career .275 hitter with 39 home runs and 171 RBIs in 279 games. He played 58 games at Nashville last season and batted .255 with six home runs and 44 RBIs.

Quero missed all but one game of the 2024 minor league season following major shoulder surgery.

“It was a long road to get here, but everything that happened makes this moment more exciting,” Quero said prior to Saturday’s game.

–Field Level Media