This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy¡¯s Brewers Beat newsletter and updated on Saturday with additional information. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PHOENIX -- Mark Canha, Tyler Black, Caleb Durbin and Manuel Margot are out. Vinny Capra appears in. With less than one week to go and the Brewers¡¯ camp roster dwindling, here is our latest attempt at predicting an Opening Day roster.
Catchers (2): William Contreras, Eric Haase
There was no doubt all spring about this duo. Jorge Alfaro is the top depth option at Triple-A Nashville, where Jeferson Quero, ranked as MLB Pipeline¡¯s top Brewers prospect and No. 47 overall, will pick up at-bats as a designated hitter while easing back into catching. Quero missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.
First basemen (2): Rhys Hoskins, Jake Bauers
Hoskins looked strong in the batter¡¯s box this spring and he is hopeful about having a better season in his second year removed from knee surgery. Bauers re-signed with Milwaukee as a non-roster invitee and wasn¡¯t part of our earlier predictions, but that was before the Brewers traded fellow non-roster invitee and bench candidate Canha to the Royals on Friday for a player to be named. Bauers has an opt-out option in his Minor League deal on Sunday, so clarity is coming.
Second baseman (1): Brice Turang
The Brewers came to camp leaning toward keeping the NL Platinum Glove Award winner at second base. Then, they saw Turang play shortstop and came up with a new plan that had Turang moving over and Joey Ortiz manning second base. But since Turang¡¯s throwing shoulder acted up, it¡¯s back to the original alignment. He¡¯ll stay put.
Shortstop (1): Joey Ortiz
Ortiz is most comfortable on the left side of the infield after manning third base last year, so it¡¯s a natural fit at shortstop. He ranked fifth among Brewers position players last season in bWAR at 2.7, just behind Willy Adames¡¯ 3.1.
Third baseman (1): Oliver Dunn
Brewers manager Pat Murphy has spoken in glowing terms this spring about Dunn, a surprise addition to last year¡¯s Opening Day roster who faded after a hot start, was demoted to the Minor Leagues and then missed significant time with a back injury. Murphy believes that Dunn has the talent to be a top-flight defensive third baseman in time. Andrew Monasterio and Caleb Durbin were also in play here, but both were optioned to Triple-A in recent days, all but cementing Capra¡¯s bid to break camp with the team.
Outfielders (5): Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Isaac Collins
Yelich expressed total confidence that he¡¯ll be ready for Opening Day, and that¡¯s a good thing since the Brewers¡¯ depth took a hit when Perkins went down with a fractured right leg that will probably sideline him until May. The club signed veteran Margot as a non-roster invitee in the wake of the Perkins injury and he was a candidate until Saturday, when he was released. So, that leaves Collins, barring an outside move.
Designated hitter: Rotating
Yelich, Contreras, Hoskins and Bauers are all options here.
Utility (1): Capra
Capra, 28, is out of Minor League options, can cover you all over the infield and, while not known for his bat, had an eye-opening spring at the plate. Also in the mix here is Bauers, who would give the Brewers some power off the bench while backing up at first base and the outfield corners. Collins would also provide some second base coverage in addition to outfield if he makes the cut.
Starting pitchers (4): Freddy Peralta, Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, Jose Quintana
Brandon Woodruff is making steady progress in his comeback from right shoulder surgery, but he won¡¯t be ready for Opening Day. Neither will the injured DL Hall, Aaron Ashby or Tobias Myers, who all went down with spring injuries. And Quintana won¡¯t be ready for the first pass through the rotation after signing late.
For depth, the Brewers signed right-hander Elvin Rodriguez to a one-year deal with a club option for 2026; he has Minor League options. Swingman Tyler Alexander also could start. So could prospects Logan Henderson, Chad Patrick or Jacob Misiorowski. It looks like there will be a lot of mixing and matching early.
Relief pitchers (9): Trevor Megill (closer), Joel Payamps, Jared Koenig, Bryan Hudson, Alexander, Rodriguez, Connor Thomas, Elvis Peguero, Abner Uribe
The Brewers have had MLB¡¯s second-best bullpen ERA each of the past two seasons, and they¡¯ll try to sustain that success in spite of Devin Williams¡¯ departure. Hall and/or Ashby could figure here eventually, as will Nick Mears, who fell ill during the middle of March and will need extra time to build back up to game shape. With those issues, ¡°length¡± is vital, and it¡¯s one of the reasons that the Brewers have informed Rule 5 Draft pick Thomas (0.96 ERA, 9 1/3 innings in five appearances) that he¡¯s made the team. Rodriguez, however, remained in limbo as of Saturday morning.
The biggest remaining pitching debate was Uribe, who currently faces a four-game suspension whenever he¡¯s in the big leagues. On one hand, the off-day following Opening Day could help lessen the burden on the rest of the staff if Uribe is on the team but idle. On the other hand, there¡¯s a contingent of officials who would rather wait for a better spot later in April.
Depth pieces for the ¡¯pen include Grant Anderson and Grant Wolfram on the 40-man roster, along with prospects like Henderson (who is on the 40-man roster) and Misiorowski and Craig Yoho (who are not). Yoho was terrific in Spring Training and will almost certainly play a major role this season, but he was returned to Minor League camp on Wednesday.
Injured list (6): Ashby, Gasser, Hall, Mears, Perkins, Woodruff
Woodruff threw two innings on a back field on Thursday and he will travel with the Brewers to New York for Opening Day, then throw a simulated game during the opening homestand at American Family Field. After that, Woodruff will head back to Phoenix to continue his comeback. Myers, meanwhile, played catch this week for the first time since suffering a strained oblique, and he reported no discomfort. He¡¯s the furthest along of the Brewers¡¯ IL guys, with a late-April return possible.