The Milwaukee Brewers will start the season without right-hander Quinn Priester, who has been diagnosed with a condition related to thoracic outlet syndrome.

Manager Pat Murphy confirmed that Priester will open the regular season on the Injured List after consulting with a specialist about ongoing discomfort in his wrist.

According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Murphy said doctors determined the issue falls “in that T.O.S. family,” referencing thoracic outlet syndrome — a condition caused by compression of nerves or blood vessels near the base of the neck.

The condition can produce pain, weakness, fatigue, or numbness that extends through the arm and hand.

Despite the concerning diagnosis, Milwaukee is hopeful the problem can be addressed without surgery. Priester recently returned to camp after visiting vascular surgeon Gregory Pearl in Dallas and resumed light throwing work.

“Often, thoracic outlet requires surgery. But in this case, we’re not there,” Murphy said. “We’re feeling like there’s a chance that he’s going to come through this.”

Priester tossed lightly off a mound on Thursday, and the club plans to increase his workload gradually. If his recovery progresses well, then he could throw a more demanding bullpen session on March 21.

Even with that progress, the timeline eliminates any chance of Priester being ready for Opening Day on March 26 at American Family Field.

The discomfort originally surfaced late last season. Priester first experienced wrist issues in August but managed the problem through the remainder of the campaign and the offseason.

The expectation was that rest would resolve the issue, but the symptoms returned intermittently during spring preparations. According to Murphy, the discomfort eventually began moving up Priester’s arm as he attempted to ramp up his throwing program.

“What would happen is he would throw, and [say], ‘Ah, I feel something. It just wasn’t right,’” Murphy said. “Then he’d feel great. Then he’d come out and throw the next time and not be able to build up. … So, it was back to the drawing board.”

With Priester sidelined and Brandon Woodruff still easing back after recent injury setbacks, Milwaukee will lean on its younger pitching options early in the season.

Highly regarded right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is emerging as a leading candidate to start Opening Day against the Chicago White Sox, while Chad Patrick is also expected to be part of the initial rotation.

Additional candidates include Kyle Harrison, Brandon Sproat, and left-handed swingman Aaron Ashby. Meanwhile, Logan Henderson is dealing with elbow discomfort, though he recently completed a bullpen session.

The Brewers are also monitoring an injury to outfielder Akil Baddoo, who suffered a left quad strain. Murphy indicated an MRI revealed the injury is more serious than initially believed, meaning Baddoo will be sidelined for weeks rather than days.

Even so, Murphy remains optimistic the outfielder will contribute later this season.

“I still think he’ll help us this year,” Murphy said.

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