Minor league report: Broken leg puts damper on Luis Peña’s season

Injuries became part of the story for the Milwaukee Brewers minor leagues as two full-season teams at Class A Wilson and Class High A Wisconsin came to an end.

The biggest news was what befell No. 2 prospect Luis Peña, who broke his fibula sliding into third base for the Biloxi Shuckers on Sept. 5, necessitating a trip to the emergency room.

Peña is in a splint and using crutches, and he will travel to Phoenix to begin rehab next week. The 19-year-old spent most of the season at Class A Wisconsin before getting a promotion to Class AA Biloxi late in the season. He finished the year across levels with three homers, 27 RBIs, 35 steals and a .795 OPS, but he was limited to 253 at-bats with a series of ailments, including an overheating episode that required him leaving the field in an ambulance and a hamstring injury.

It’s not the only injury issue. Jett Williams, Pipeline’s No. 10 prospect in the Brewers organization and part of the Freddy Peralta deal with the Mets in the offseason, has been functionally out since July 7 with a wrist injury at Class AAA Nashville. He came back Aug. 8 and managed one swing before returning to the injured list. Nashville’s season continues next week, but it seems likely we’ve seen the last of Williams, who had a .724 OPS with nine homers and 21 steals.

Trey Ebel, the team’s first-round pick in 2026, didn’t play for Wilson after Sept. 1. Handelfry Encarnacion, one of the top prospects on the Wilson team and No. 24 on Pipeline, hasn’t been in the lineup since late-August. Marco Dinges, the No. 14 prospect in the organization, has been out since mid-August in Biloxi.

There’s still plenty of good news from one of Major League Baseball’s best minor-league organizations.

Here’s what happened with the Brewers minor-league teams last week

• Class AAA Nashville (76-61) had a strong 5-1 week against Louisville (Reds).
• Class AA Biloxi (63-65) went 4-2 against Birmingham (White Sox) and moved a little closer back to .500 for the season.
• Class High A Wisconsin (68-59) went 3-3 against intrastate rival Beloit (Miami) to finish their season.
• Class A Wilson (64-66) dropped all six games vs. Fredericksburg (Nationals) in the final week of the season to finish below .500 for the year. The Warbirds finished the year on a 12-game losing streak.

Top performances from players on the 40-man roster

• Bouncing back from an ugly start to end August, Coleman Crow worked seven innings Sept. 2 and allowed just two earned runs with four strikeouts and zero walks, although he did yield nine hits. The right-hander remains an intriguing option for the rest of this season, particularly as the Brewers get closer to locking up a playoff spot and decisions about how to rest their top pitchers.
• Garrett Stallings, 29, continues to do solid work for Nashville. He has a 3.78 ERA in 81 innings (76 strikeouts), most recently with two scoreless innings Sept. 2 and two more Sept. 6. He had a 4.40 ERA in August but hasn’t allowed a run in his eight big-league innings with the Brewers this year, with nine strikeouts.
• Outfielder Akil Baddoo had another four hits, including a home run, over the past week, with a stolen base. The 28-year-old has an .822 OPS for the year with 11 homers and seven steals in 185 at-bats at Nashville.
• Tyler Black ended the week on an eight-game hitting streak, with two doubles among his five hits this week. He drove in three.

Best performance from a Brewers top prospect

Andrew Fischer’s home-run power had another monster week, with four more blasts for Class AA Biloxi. Now at 46 home runs for the year, he’s put himself within striking distance of 50 for the year, which would tie him for third for the most homers in a minor-league season ever.

He collected six hits overall on the week and drove in 10 runs, with six runs, 10 walks and just seven strikeouts. The 22-year-old (No. 5 on Pipeline) has a 1.066 OPS for the season and 1.021 mark at Double-A.

How did No. 1 prospect Jesús Made do this week?

JESÚS MADE WALKS OFF THE BARONS FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR!!!!#ShuckYeah#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/jIOjJU0xJP

— Biloxi Shuckers (@BiloxiShuckers) September 3, 2026

The 19-year-old star prospect finished the week 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs for Class AA Biloxi, his third consecutive game with a run driven in. Overall, he had six driven in for the week, including a walk-off winner.

Made stole his 36th base of the season this week, and he has a .766 OPS for the year with 13 homers and 88 RBIs.

How did No. 3 prospect Josh Adamczewski do this week?

He had exactly one hit in all six games this week, including a home run, along with three walks. The 21-year-old outfielder has a .913 OPS for the season and an .816 mark in 61 games with the Shuckers. His on-base percentage for the season is .410.

How did No. 4 prospect Brady Ebel do this week?

Ebel played in three games this week, drawing four walks and recording a single in eight at-bats, but that was progress after a scary in-game collision Aug. 25 put him on the concussion list. The 19-year-old shortstop, who spent most of the season at Wilson, finishes the year with an .819 OPS (.413 on-base percentage), with 10 homers and 40 steals. He was the team’s second first-round pick in 2025.

How did No. 6 prospect Braylon Payne do this week?

Like Adamczewski, Payne had a hit in every game this week and seven total, with three doubles, a triple and a walk. The 20-year-old outfielder has a .904 OPS for the season with 25 homers and 24 steals, and his OPS is .795 in 20 games at Class AA Biloxi.

Brewers minor-league highlights Sept. 1-6

• More good news on the injury front. It was a cool moment at Wilson on Sept. 5 when Frank Cairone got on the mound for his first appearance in full-season professional ball. He struck out four over the course of five recorded outs, allowing two hits and three walks, with two runs. But for a prospect who has overcome serious injuries following an offseason car accident, it was another step forward. He’s No. 28 on Pipeline.
• The Brewers’ top pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Tyson Hardin (No. 7), delivered a brilliant showing Sept. 4, when he allowed just one earned run on three hits in seven innings for Class AAA Nashville, racking up seven strikeouts and one walk. Results have been uneven for Hardin over the course of the year, but he’s been stingy lately, allowing just seven earned runs in his last 23 innings for a 2.74 ERA with 29 punchouts. The seven innings matched a season high for the 24-year-old.
• Bishop Letson (No. 8 on Pipeline) struck out nine and allowed only two earned runs in 4⅔ innings Sept. 3, although he walked four and yielded four hits. The 21-year-old has had some up-and-down results this season with a 5.09 ERA in 88 innings, but he also has 90 strikeouts in that stretch and possesses perhaps the highest ceiling of any organizational pitcher.
• Josh Knoth (No. 9 on Pipeline) made his Class AA debut on Sept. 1, allowing four earned runs in five innings, permitting four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Then he threw another three innings Sept. 6, allowing just one hit and no runs with two strikeouts and zero walks. For the year, the 21-year-old has a 4.52 ERA in 20 games (80 innings), with 78 punchouts.
• J.D. Thompson (No. 18 on Pipeline) worked six innings and allowed just one earned run on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts on Sept. 5 for Class AA Biloxi. The 22-year-old second-round pick in 2025 has been mostly steady in working his way back from injuries and has a 3.67 ERA in his 16 games this year (56 innings), with 71 strikeouts. In five Biloxi starts, he has a 3.63 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 22 frames.
• Tyler Renz, 19, allowed one earned run and two hits in four innings for Class A Wilson on Sept. 2, with no walks and three strikeouts. Renz remains a fascinating prospect, even if he posted a 4.72 ERA in 25 games this year.
• Jarrette Bonet, 21, allowed just one hit in four innings at Class High A Wisconsin on Sept. 5, with three strikeouts and no walks. It was his second appearance at the level after spending most of the season at Wilson, and the undrafted right-hander has a 4.72 ERA for the year. The 6-3, 230-pounder showed enough to be intrigued with what’s ahead.
• Catcher Rylan Mills closed the year on fire, with six hits in the final week of the season at Class A Wilson, including three homers. Five of his 16 home runs this season came since Aug. 28. He also walked four times last week and, at age 19, finished the year with an .876 OPS. The 18th-round pick in 2025 has been one of the more promising newcomers to the organization this year.
• Brock Wilken went 3 for 4 on Sept. 6 with a home run, and he also had a double among his six hits this week. The 24-year-old first baseman has a .707 OPS for the year with 16 homers.
• In terms of results, Miqueas Mercedes popped in a big way this season, most recently in working 5⅔ innings at Wisconsin and allowing no runs on three hits with four strikeouts. The four walks weren’t ideal, but the 20-year-old has been excellent since June, allowing just four earned runs in 46 innings (0.78 ERA). He does only have 40 strikeouts in that stretch and 23 walks, so there is reason to be cautious, but in a year where pitchers have really struggled across the minor leagues, it’s a welcome sight. Overall, he has a 2.61 ERA this season despite a 1.40 WHIP.
• Speaking of pitchers with serious helium, Wande Torres will be on the prospect radar next year. The 21-year-old lefty allowed just one hit with three walks, a hit batsman and three strikeouts in five innings for AA Biloxi on Sept. 2, a relief effort that allowed the Shuckers to claim a 10-inning win. Torres has allowed just two earned runs in his last 28 2/3 innings (0.63 ERA) and he hasn’t allowed any earned runs in his past 15⅔. This was his first appearance at Biloxi, but for the year his ERA is now 3.98 with a 1.33 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in 120 innings.
• Ethan Dorchies (No. 30 on Pipeline) allowed two earned runs in five innings at Wisconsin on Sept. 1, with six strikeouts and two walks. He followed up Sept. 6 with three earned runs in four innings, with three walks and two hits allowed. The 19-year-old has a 5.26 ERA this season in 25 games and 101 strikeouts in 1013 innings.
• Daniel Dickinson had a torrid finish to the Wisconsin season, racking up eight hits with a home run and three stolen bases Sept. 6. He finished the week with seven swipes and stole 60 bases this season, with 11 homers and an .869 OPS. The 22-year-old second baseman, taken in the sixth round of the 2025 draft, had a great second half of the season after struggling out of the gate.
• Sawyer Strosnider (No. 16 on Pipeline) finished with an .836 OPS in his 87 at-bats with Class High A Wisconsin after he was taken in the second round of the 2026 draft. That included two homers and seven steals. One of his homers came Sept. 1.
• Juan Ortuno, a 19-year-old infielder promoted to Wisconsin for the final week of the season, collected four hits including a double and home run in his week with the Timber Rattlers. He drove in five runs, stole four bases and finished the season with a .732 OPS, including 41 steals.
• Eric Bitonti (No. 26 on Pipeline) finished his Wisconsin season with a home run among his five hits, plus five walks and two steals. The 20-year-old third baseman finished the season with a .916 OPS, 25 homers, 24 steals and 88 RBIs. He was caught stealing just once, had a .391 on-base percentage and completely resuscitated his prospect status. Bitonti was an above-slot signing in the third round of the 2023 draft.
• With an .826 OPS, 20 homers and 90 RBIs, the 2026 season was highly prolific for Wisconsin 22-year-old outfielder Luis Castillo. He closed the season with a home run Sept. 4, making him the fourth Timber Rattlers player to hit 20 homers this year (Andrew Fischer, Braylon Payne, Eric Bitonti).
• First baseman Tayden Hall finished at Wisconsin with six hits last week, including a double and home run. The 23-year-old first baseman had an .873 OPS this year with 13 homers and 13 steals. He’s a ninth-round pick in 2022.
• Two of Mike Boeve’s seven hits at Biloxi last week were doubles, and he added seven walks to up his season-long on-base percentage to .371. The 24-year-old has a .716 OPS with eight homers and 13 steals.
• Biloxi catcher Matthew Wood was 6 for 13 with two doubles and five RBIs over the week, bringing his OPS for the year to .881. The 25-year-old catcher was a fourth-round pick by the Brewers in 2022.

Brewers minor-league games Sept. 7-13

• Nashville will face off with the host Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays), including a rare game Monday (with no game Tuesday).
• Biloxi will play the final regular-season games of the year against Pensacola (Miami Marlins) before the playoffs begin Sept. 15.
• The Timber Rattlers and Warbirds seasons are now over.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Minor league report: Broken leg puts damper on Luis Peña’s season