MILWAUKEE -- Halfway through Spring Training, the Brewers’ pitching picture is only slightly more focused than it was at the start of camp.
“We’ve got a lot up in the air,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said over the weekend.
So, repeating the caveat that more spring signings, trades or waiver claims can (and probably will) change things, and the knowledge that injuries happen, here’s our latest effort at playing armchair GM as Matt Arnold, Murphy and their lieutenants ponder an Opening Day roster. Remember, the limit is 26 players and a maximum of 13 pitchers.
Catcher (1): William Contreras
Contreras has been behind the plate for 259 of a possible 335 regular-season and postseason games over the past two years, with a fractured left middle finger for most of them. Gary Sánchez is the clear backup at this point, with non-roster invitee Reese McGuire and promising Jeferson Quero (Brewers No. 8 prospect) in reserve at Triple-A Nashville.
First baseman (1): Andrew Vaughn
Vaughn’s power tailed off late in the season, but the Brewers invested $7.65 million to bring him back in a right/left tandem with Jake Bauers. It won’t be a straight platoon, Murphy has made clear, but Bauers is making a strong case to start against righties with a standout spring. Tiny sample alert: Bauers and Vaughn were a combined 17-for-40 with four doubles and four home runs through March 8.
Second baseman (1): Brice Turang
Turang’s OPS in his first three Major League seasons: .585 in 2023, .665 in '24, .794 in '25. The next step in his ascent is playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Shortstop (1): Joey Ortiz
Since the 2024 All-Star break, Ortiz’s .609 OPS ranks 228th of MLB’s 232 hitters with at least 500 plate appearances. But the Brewers are sticking with him because he plays great defense and they believe there’s more in there offensively.
Third baseman (1): Luis Rengifo
Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler all played third for the Brewers last season but were traded to Boston eight days before the first full-squad workout. That preceded a one-year deal for Rengifo, a threat against left-handed pitching whom the Brewers had coveted for years. Lefty-hitting David Hamilton is the leading candidate to share time here, and could even draw the start at third base on Opening Day against White Sox righty Shane Smith.
Outfielders (4): Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins
There’s a lot of depth when you include a handful of outfield starts for Christian Yelich and Bauers, and the presence of Brandon Lockridge and Akil Baddoo. Health will be especially important for Mitchell (left shoulder), Chourio (right hamstring) and Frelick (left knee) after they dealt with injuries last year.
Designated hitter (1): Christian Yelich
Of his 146 starts in the 2025 regular season, 128 were as the DH. It kept him healthy and productive to the tune of 29 homers and a .795 OPS.
Bench/Utility (3): Jake Bauers, Gary Sánchez, Brandon Lockridge
With Monasterio and Seigler headed to Boston, this looked like a prime opportunity for newly acquired prospect Jett Williams (Brewers No. 3 prospect, overall No. 51) to win a spot as a backup shortstop. But he’s been sidelined for much of the Cactus League with a quad injury, and Hamilton has been getting reps at short. So we will pivot to Lockridge or Baddoo for the final spot, where it’s a choice between a right-handed hitter (Lockridge) or left-handed hitter (Baddoo). Both have at least one Minor League option remaining.
Starting pitchers (5): Chad Patrick, Brandon Woodruff, Kyle Harrison, Jacob Misiorowski, Aaron Ashby
For whatever it’s worth, this is the order they are currently lined up in the spring rotation, which either means a lot or nothing at all: Patrick, Woodruff, Harrison and Misiorowski (who both pitched March 8 against the Mariners) and Ashby. But we don’t know where that list starts and ends, so don’t put too much stock into it yet.
Quinn Priester’s lingering right wrist issue means he’s headed for the Opening Day injured list. Woodruff is on a cautious timeline that prioritizes a healthy, full season over being ready for Opening Day. Ashby is being stretched out to be a starting option along with fellow lefty swingman DL Hall. Only Patrick and Misiorowski were locks for the season-opening starting rotation at the midpoint of the exhibition schedule, according to Murphy.
More than halfway through camp, there are still myriad different ways the Brewers can go with all of this.
Logan Henderson (Brewers No. 7 prospect) and Robert Gasser (Brewers' No. 17), are in the mix, as is offseason pickup Brandon Sproat (Brewers No. 5, overall No. 100). Fellow newcomer Shane Drohan (Brewers No. 25) could figure later in the season, too, as could Carlos Rodriguez, Coleman Crow (Brewers No. 27) and non-roster invitee Tate Kuehner (an under-the-radar prospect who had a brief but impressive stint in big league camp).
Relief pitchers (8): Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, Jared Koenig, Angel Zerpa, Grant Anderson, Rob Zastryzny, DL Hall, Easton McGee
“Rob Z.” is the only bullpen candidate who is out of options, so there are countless ways this could go. The first five spots seem pretty locked in, barring an injury or trade -- Megill has been a target of a number of clubs with two years of control remaining. If you keep Zastryzny in the interest of maximizing organizational depth, and figure that Ashby will move back to the bullpen once the Brewers get their starting rotation in order, that makes four or even five left-handers. The Brewers would almost certainly need another righty, wouldn’t they?
Bottom line: There are a ton of decisions to make on the pitching side.
Injured list (1): Quinn Priester
The right-hander and the Brewers have been stymied by his persistent wrist discomfort. When he’s able to get on the mound again, he will need time to build back up.