MILWAUKEE -- An “opener” on Opening Day?

“Well, I don’t know about that,” said Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook.

If not Opening Day -- Brandon Woodruff remains the odds-on favorite to start the season for the Brewers -- then expect the Brewers to get creative soon thereafter in the way they deploy their pitching at the start of a planned 60-game regular season, Hook suggested Sunday ahead of Day 2 of the Brewers’ Summer Camp. Under the rules of the shortened season, Opening Day rosters have been expanded to 30 players, allowing for some of the same strategy the Brewers have employed successfully after rosters expanded to 40 in recent Septembers.

“I think we’re going to be creative, I really do,” said Hook. “I think that’s our strength. We have depth to be creative, and I think that’s the way to do things. I don’t want to tip our hand on how we’re going to do things. I don’t think we’re even quite sure how it’s going to line up. But I think creativity will be a good thing for us.”

• Brewers open camp with eye on safety

Hook estimated that of the 23 pitchers in camp, 10 are stretched out as starters. They include the four men likely to open the season in a rotation -- Woodruff, Brett Anderson, Adrian Houser and Josh Lindblom -- and the trio of Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and Eric Lauer, who were in the mix for the fifth spot when Spring Training was paused in March. There’s also non-roster invitees Zack Brown and Shelby Miller, and a group including Brent Suter and Jake Faria that blurs the lines between starter and reliever.

Manager Craig Counsell expects to begin the season with 16-17 pitchers on the active roster, so there is room for creativity. Employing an all-hands-on-deck strategy, he has led the Brewers to 20-7 records after Sept. 1 in each of the past two seasons, good for postseason berths each year.

“There are some staffs out in Major League Baseball that have not done the creative things we’ve done,” Hook said. “At least our guys have come up through the Minor Leagues being able to do it, and being open to it. I think that’s kind of the culture we’ve created. That’s something we’ve talked about in this hiatus.”

Asked how much length he expects starters to deliver at the onset of a regular season, Hook said, “I think five innings is a really good spot to look for. And we’ll see how they react and -- Counsell said this, too -- just how they recover. We’re going to find as we add intensity, how they’re feeling, how they’re recovering. If they’re recovering well, we’ll continue to add innings and add pitches. It will be interesting to see. So far, so good.”

Knebel throws live BP
When Corey Knebel took part in live batting practice during Saturday’s first formal workout at Miller Park, it marked the first time he stood on the mound there since the 2018 National League Championship Series.

Before Spring Training camps closed in March, Knebel was on the cusp of facing hitters for the first time since the Tommy John surgery performed on his right elbow in April 2019. He continued his rehab at home in Texas and faced some hitters there, but still, Saturday marked something of a milestone.

“He threw 15 [pitches] yesterday, was really sharp,” Hook said. “I think just getting the reaction of the hitters, it’s an uncomfortable at-bat. It’s really tough for them with that slot and obviously the velocity plus that curveball. It looks really, really good as well. I think just the hitters’ reaction yesterday was really positive.”

The club will proceed cautiously with Knebel, said Hook, who is mindful that facing hitters in a Major League stadium creates a different intensity. If Knebel needs a bit more time come Opening Day, the Brewers won’t force him onto the roster.

Whether on Opening Day or soon after, Knebel should pair with left-hander Josh Hader at the back end of the bullpen.

“It’s very exciting,” Hook said. “I haven’t gotten to see a lot of Corey live, but I’ve watched it on TV and what he can bring. Just those two guys, they’re two different animals, and I’ve said this before: It’s an uncomfortable at-bat. These guys give you a different look that you don’t normally see.”