A series of roster decisions on hold for Crew

MILWAUKEE -- The suspension of Spring Training put a series of roster decisions on hold for the Brewers. Here is a look at where things stood when play was halted, and what to expect when baseball activities resume.

Shortstop
Candidates: Orlando Arcia, Luis Urías
Front-runner: Arcia
Urías, recovered from surgery for a broken hamate bone in his left hand, was scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on the day Major League Baseball suspended Spring Training. But even if he had made that start, it was still unclear if he would have enough time to be ready to play shortstop on Opening Day. Arcia, meanwhile, was one of the stars of the Brewers’ spring, using his reworked swing to produce a team-leading five home runs in 27 at-bats. Perhaps it was an example of the way competition can motivate players to perform at their best.

Now that everything is on hold for at least eight weeks, Milwaukee's situation has essentially reverted to where it was before Urías injured himself playing winter ball in Mexico: Arcia and Urías presumably will compete for Opening Day duties at shortstop. Notably, Arcia has one Minor League option remaining and Urías has two.

Fifth starter
Candidates: Eric Lauer, Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes
Front-runner: Lauer
Early on in the spring, manager Craig Counsell described the starting rotation competition as Lauer versus Peralta for the fifth spot, behind some alignment of Brandon Woodruff, Adrian Houser, Brett Anderson and Josh Lindblom. When Lauer was sidelined in early March by a left shoulder impingement, it meant Peralta was ticketed for the fifth spot in the rotation and Burnes would probably start the season in the Major League bullpen. Both Peralta (15 strikeouts, .150 opponents’ average in 12 innings after signing a new five-year contract) and Burnes (13 strikeouts, .167 opponents’ average in 10 innings) were sensational in the Cactus League after working extensively over the winter to change course from their respective challenging 2019 seasons. But the Brewers are also quite high on Lauer, whom they acquired from San Diego in a November trade, and the downtime means his shoulder will be healthy again when baseball resumes. However things align for the start of the season, all three figure to play significant roles for Milwaukee. Peralta, in particular, will be on the big league team one way or another, either as a starter or in the bullpen. But if Lauer or Burnes isn't in the rotation, the preference may be to keep those players stretched out as starters in the Minor Leagues.

26th man
Candidates: Ben Gamel, Logan Morrison
Front-runner: Morrison
This was a battle that evolved at the start of camp, after the Brewers signed versatile utility man Brock Holt to a one-year deal with an option and Morrison started hitting home runs. Morrison, a non-roster invitee, made it clear he had no intention of going to Triple-A San Antonio, meaning he would elect free agency if Milwaukee didn’t offer him a spot on its 26-man roster. So the decision could be between Morrison and Ben Gamel, since Gamel has a Minor League option remaining. On one hand, the Brewers love preserving as much organizational depth as possible, and it would come down to a choice between keeping both players in the organization or losing Morrison. On the other hand, Gamel could help cover them in center field, where Avisaíl García and perhaps Christian Yelich would have to fill in for Lorenzo Cain should Gamel not make the team.

Bullpen
Candidates: Too many to list
It’s difficult to create a list of candidates for the bullpen, seeing as the makeup of the bullpen depends on the makeup of the starting rotation -- and the health of some others. In other words, is the rest of the rotation healthy enough for Brent Suter to be used in the bullpen? Is Peralta in the rotation or the ‘pen? Will Corey Knebel recover from Tommy John surgery by the time baseball resumes? Knebel was slated to return in early May, and was just starting to face hitters when things shut down. Is Ray Black fully recovered from a minor back issue? There were a lot of moving pieces when everyone scattered and that will still be the case when the team ramps up again.