Brewers acquire – The Brewers added right-hander Joel Kuhnel to their active roster ahead of a game against his former team, using cash considerations after the Athletics designated him for assignment. Milwaukee cleared space on the 40-man roster by moving Quinn Priester to the
By the time tonight’s game begins against his former team, Joel Kuhnel already knows what changed—Milwaukee now has him on its active roster, and the Athletics have moved on after designating him for assignment.
Today, the Brewers added Kuhnel to the active roster ahead of their game against his former club. In the corresponding move, right-hander Craig Yoho was optioned to Triple-A. The transaction came after Milwaukee and Oakland finalized a deal on June 6. with both teams announcing that Kuhnel would head to the Brewers for cash considerations.
The background matters because Kuhnel’s role this season has been about leverage—at first, he looked like one of manager Mark Kotsay’s most dependable options in the ninth inning early on. He picked up four saves in his first seven appearances and stayed in the high-leverage mix through May.
Then came the slide. In the closing stretch of May, Kuhnel permitted three earned runs across his final two outings. The most damaging moment arrived Thursday against the Cubs. when he was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth. Instead, he gave up four earned runs on five hits while recording just two outs.
Righty Luis Medina wasn’t able to extinguish the rally. The inning ended with a walk-off single to Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the damage followed Kuhnel straight into the numbers: his ERA jumped from 2.88 to 4.21.
Milwaukee’s need for bullpen depth is part of why Kuhnel’s arrival lands now. The Brewers are missing several key pieces in late-inning relief. including offseason trade acquisition Angel Zerpa. who was lost to Tommy John surgery. and lefty DL Hall. who recently went down with a pectoral injury. Veterans Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny have also missed the majority of the season.
Kuhnel. a right-hander. may not be a direct fix for every absence—still. Milwaukee could use him in a lower-leverage role while the bullpen is thinned. Kuhnel is 31 and has pitched for four teams across parts of six big-league seasons. He spent all of 2025 at Triple-A in the Yankees’ and Phillies’ systems. Before that. he came to the Athletics on a minor league deal in December. didn’t break camp with the team. and reached the majors after just two minor league outings.
Making room on the roster meant moving Quinn Priester. Milwaukee placed Priester on the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man roster spot for Kuhnel.
Priester’s own timeline is shaped by thoracic outlet syndrome. The righty has avoided surgery up to this point. and his rehab assignment was recently bumped to Rookie ball after a stretch of poor performances. His control has been a major issue during those minor league outings: Priester has 19 walks in 13 1/3 innings across seven minor league appearances. and manager Pat Murphy has said Priester could need another month of rehab.
The move sends Kuhnel to Milwaukee with urgency, while Priester’s recovery remains in progress. For the Brewers, it’s a roster reshuffle built on one bullpen risk being replaced by another kind of uncertainty—cash and a roster spot today, and careful waiting ahead for what comes next.
Brewers Joel Kuhnel Athletics cash considerations active roster Craig Yoho Quinn Priester 60-day IL thoracic outlet syndrome bullpen