Brewers add Jeferson Quero, Bradley Blalock to 40-man roster

The Brewers added catcher Jeferson Quero and right-handed pitcher Bradley Blalock to the team’s 40-man roster Monday afternoon, protecting both players from the Rule 5 Draft.

With Quero (team’s No. 2 prospect) and Blalock (team’s No. 17 prospect) added to the roster, the 40-man now sits at 36, with just over 24 hours (5 p.m. CT Tuesday) until eligible minor leaguers must be added to 40-man rosters ahead of the Rule 5 Draft in December.

Given the space remaining on the team’s 40-man roster, the Brewers still have the opportunity to protect some of their other minor leaguers from the Rule 5 Draft, including infielder Freddy Zamora (team’s No. 26 prospect), left-hander Adam Seminaris, and right-handers Justin Yeager, Joseph Hernandez, and Evan McKendry, per Adam McCalvy.

Quero, who spent the entire 2023 season with Double-A Biloxi, has shown promise across three seasons and four levels in the Brewers system. With the Shuckers, Quero hit .262/.339/.440 with 16 homers and 49 RBIs across 90 games. He also provided strong defense behind the plate, catching 27 of 78 would-be base stealers (34.6% caught stealing rate) and making just nine errors in 770 total chances (.988 fielding percentage).

Blalock, who came over from the Red Sox organization at the trade deadline in exchange for Luis Urias, had a breakout 2023 campaign, pitching to a 2.82 ERA across 15 starts at two levels. Blalock was drafted in the 32nd round in 2019 and turns 23 later this year. Despite his overall success on the season, Blalock struggled at High-A Wisconsin after the trade, pitching to a 5.27 ERA across four starts with the Timber Rattlers.