Brewers add prospects Jeferson Quero, Bradley Blalock to 40-man roster
One of the Milwaukee Brewers' best minor-league prospects received a big promotion on Monday.
Catcher Jeferson Quero was added to the team's 40-man roster along with right-hander Bradley Blalock, a move that protects both players from being selected by other teams in next month's Rule 5 draft.
Quero, 21, is coming off his best season since been signed by Milwaukee as a 16-year-old international free agent out of Venezuela in July 2019. He hit .262 with 16 home runs and 49 runs batted in along with an OPS of .779 in 90 games at Class AA Biloxi.
Defensively, Quero also threw out 35% of would-be base-stealers and finished with a .988 fielding percentage, further cementing his reputation as a two-way threat.
With Victor Caratini likely to move on in free agency this winter, the Brewers could feasibly give Quero his first taste of the major leagues sometime later next season should he fare well at Class AAA Nashville.
Blalock, who turns 23 on Christmas, is a newcomer to the organization, having been acquired in Milwaukee's trade of infielder Luis Urías to the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 1.
He was a 32nd-round pick out of high school in 2019, didn't pitch in 2020 with the minor leagues shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then missed all of 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Blalock made four starts at advanced Class A Wisconsin after joining the Brewers, and in 15 starts at three levels he finished 6-1 with a 2.82 ERA and WHIP of 1.10 while striking out 75 in 67 innings.
Milwaukee's 40-man roster stands at 36 with more shuffling expected later this week as the non-tender deadline looms on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers add prospects Jeferson Quero, Bradley Blalock to 40-man roster
