MILWAUKEE – Jake Woodford, the right-handed swingman acquired in a trade with the Rays on the final day of Spring Training on Tuesday, has cracked Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster.
The Brewers had some flexibility there because of a rule that gives teams a 72-hour grace period to add acquired players to the active roster, but the club opted to add Woodford now and optioned Easton McGee to Triple-A Nashville.
There were no other surprises on the roster, which features 13 pitchers and 13 position players, including three pitchers who are on an MLB Opening Day roster for the first time in their careers: Scheduled Opening Day starter Jacob Misiorowski, Game 3 starter Brandon Sproat and reliever Grant Anderson.
Five players will begin the season on the injured list, including, as expected, right-hander Quinn Priester, who is recovering from symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome in his right arm. He’s on track to begin a rehab assignment in mid-April, and could join the Brewers by early- to mid-May.
Here’s the full roster:
Catchers (2): William Contreras, Gary Sánchez
Contreras is fully healthy again after undergoing surgery for the fractured left middle finger that bothered him the past two years. Sánchez is the backup and Jeferson Quero (Brewers No. 8 prospect) is the clear No. 1 at Triple-A Nashville.
First basemen (2): Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers
Bauers’ standout spring showed why manager Pat Murphy doesn’t think of this as a straight platoon. Both Vaughn and Bauers had big camps, combining to hit .409 (36-for-88) in Spring Training games, including the Milwaukee exhibitions against the Reds, with more than half of their hits (19 of 36) for extra bases. They combined for 10 home runs, including Bauers’ seven.
Second baseman (1): Brice Turang
An international audience learned what Turang means to the Brewers during the World Baseball Classic. He’s poised for another big step after posting a .585 OPS in 2023, .665 in '24 and .794 in '25.
Shortstop (1): Joey Ortiz
Since the 2024 All-Star break, Ortiz’s .609 OPS ranks 228th out 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, Brandon Lockridge
There’s a lot of depth when you include a handful of outfield starts for Christian Yelich and Bauers, and the presence of former Gold Glove Award finalist Blake Perkins at Triple-A Nashville after Lockridge won the final spot. 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.
Utility (1): David Hamilton
Newly acquired prospect Jett Williams (Brewers' No. 3 prospect, overall No. 51) impressed in camp but was optioned to Triple-A to start the year. Hamilton got extensive reps at shortstop during the spring and was manager Pat Murphy’s pick to take a “quantum leap” in 2026. As needs arise, will there be an in-season lane to the Majors for Cooper Pratt (Brewers No. 4 prospect, overall No. 64)?
Starting pitchers (5): Jacob Misiorowski, Brandon Sproat, Chad Patrick, Kyle Harrison, Brandon Woodruff
The Brewers considered a season-opening stint on the IL for Woodruff to allow for a longer ramp-up, but the sides decided he was ready to pitch from the get-go. Sproat (Brewers No. 5 prospect, overall No. 100) was not in our earlier projections, but he made the team and will start the third game of the regular season. Among the reserves to know are Robert Gasser (Brewers' No. 17), Shane Drohan (Brewers No. 25), who made it all the way to the end of camp, and Logan Henderson (Brewers No. 7), who was earlier optioned to Triple-A. Carlos Rodriguez, Coleman Crow (Brewers No. 27) and non-roster invitee Tate Kuehner are all in the mix for later in the year.
Relief pitchers (8): Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, Jared Koenig, Angel Zerpa, Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Jake Woodford
Ashby will make some starts as soon as the opening homestand as a multi-inning opener, and could even make a series of starts if needed in place of Harrison or Woodruff. At the back end of the ‘pen, the Brewers have four relievers capable of closing in Megill, Uribe, Zerpa and Koenig, but Murphy has hinted that Megill will get the bulk of save opportunities early.
Injured list (5): RHP Quinn Priester, RHP Craig Yoho, LHP Rob Zastryzny, OF Akil Baddoo, OF Steward Berroa
Remember, you can always find the latest injury information in our running account of injuries and roster moves throughout the season at Brewers.com.