The Milwaukee Brewers might have hoped Jeferson Quero would be in the big leagues by now, but injuries have curtailed his development.
The 23-year-old Venezuelan catcher, who has burned through two of his minor-league options, has suffered injuries to both shoulders and a hamstring in the last two seasons. All the while, the Brewers have used a rotating cast of veterans, most recently trade deadline pickup Danny Jansen, as the backup to All-Star William Contreras.
This is a critical offseason for Quero to prove he still has a bright future on the Brewers’ major league roster, potentially even joining that roster right from the jump when the season begins.
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Will Jeferson Quero make opening day roster?
Feb 27, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jeferson Quero against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In fact, the Brewers’ brain trust has already begun sending signals about that possibility.
“I think we’re pretty close,” assistant director of baseball administration Brenton Del Chiaro told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.. “I think we’re pretty close.”
Quero, the Brewers’ No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, had an .839 OPS in 69 games this season, though that number was only .748 in his 59 games at Triple-A. Making the roster will come down equally to his defense and ability to handle veteran pitchers in spring training.
Manager Pat Murphy sent some positive signals of his own in Hogg’s Friday piece.
“This kid is a huge part of our organization,” Murphy said, per Hogg. “You meet the kid once and you’ll love him. He’s got this infectious way about him, and he’s just a great baseball kid.”
Obviously, the Brewers’ backup catcher job is one of the less taxing ones in the league, as Contreras has proven to be both a workhorse and a stud. To illustrate that point, Jansen didn’t get into a single playoff game this year, even after performing well in his 25 regular-season games in Milwaukee.
But giving Contreras some more rest days could help keep him fresher for the stretch run, and the Brewers are only going to do that if they think Quero (or whoever the backup is) can perform almost as well in his stead.
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