PHOENIX ¨C At 2 p.m. MST on Friday, four hours before the Brewers hosted the D-backs at American Family Fields of Phoenix and four days before the Brewers will board a flight bound for New York and Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, Mark Canha still had no idea whether he would be on that airplane.
So, the 36-year-old non-roster invitee to Milwaukee¡¯s camp did the only thing he could do, and controlled the only thing he can control. He put on spikes, packed his bat bag and went to the cage to hit. For non-roster invitees like Canha, Rule 5 Draft picks, journeymen and rookies who are dreaming about their first Opening Day in the big leagues, these are angsty days.
¡°But it¡¯s part of the job,¡± Canha said. ¡°It¡¯s what you sign up for.¡±
Three hours later, Canha was on the move, traded to the Royals for a player to be named later or cash. The teams officially announced the move on Saturday morning.
It ended Canha¡¯s bid to make Milwaukee¡¯s roster as a right-handed bench bat and occasional designated hitter. That means someone else will get that spot by the time the Brewers take the field against the Yankees on March 27. Canha batted .087 (2-for-23) for the Brewers in the Cactus League after posting a .690 OPS during a 2024 season split between the Tigers and Giants.
Canha has his answer. Others on the Brewers¡¯ bubble were still waiting.
¡°If you hear anything,¡± said first baseman Jake Bauers, ¡°please let me know.¡±
Dad's dream scenario
Vinny Capra¡¯s phone buzzes regularly with messages from family and friends wondering whether his sensational Spring Training will lead to a spot. He¡¯s out of Minor League options, hit a walk-off, three-run home run on a six-RBI afternoon in the Cactus League opener and never looked back. Oh, and he can play shortstop.
Every indication is that Capra will make the team. But until he gets the word, what can he tell his father?
¡°It¡¯s a bucket list thing for him to go to Yankee Stadium,¡± Capra said. ¡°He went to the old Yankee Stadium when he was 12 years old as a kid in the Bronx. He hasn¡¯t been to the new one. He doesn¡¯t travel much, but he was like, ¡®I¡¯ll travel to see you up there, let¡¯s go.¡¯¡±
The family purchased flights from Florida and booked hotel rooms in New York. They have their fingers crossed.
¡°I tell them, you¡¯re in this with me right now. I¡¯m sorry we have to live this way,¡± Capra said.
'I think I earned a spot¡¯
The Brewers know exactly what they would be getting in Bauers, who split first-base duty with Rhys Hoskins last season. Bauers batted .199 but delivered 12 home runs and had two huge moments late in the season -- his walk-off hit on the day the Brewers clinched the NL Central, and his pinch-hit, tie-breaking solo home run in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Mets.
If Bauers makes the team, he¡¯d play first base and maybe some left field and DH.
¡°Though they know me, I feel like in this camp I found a little bit of an extra gear,¡± Bauers said. ¡°Maybe I showed a skill set that the industry didn¡¯t necessarily think I could do in terms of taking some shorter swings, going the other way, not striking out. And also mentally, I think I found a nice pocket with that and have been able to carry that through the whole camp.
¡°Whatever happens, I¡¯m happy with what I did the last month and a half. Obviously, I¡¯m a little bit biased, but I think I earned a spot here.¡±
No poker face
Rule 5 Draft pick Connor Thomas is a left-hander bidding for the Brewers¡¯ bullpen. He knows what it¡¯s like to be this close to the big leagues and see it slip away. He was cut by the Cardinals in 2022 on the eve of the flight north.
Thomas hopes it¡¯s different this time, for himself and his family. Thomas and his wife, Brett, have two daughters, Blakely and Sydney. As with so many baseball loved ones, the wait is far more stressful for them than for the ballplayers. Thomas has done his part with a 0.96 ERA in five Cactus League appearances. He can pitch multiple innings -- something very valuable as the Brewers navigate a spate of spring pitching injuries.
¡°I¡¯ve done all that I can do. I don¡¯t know if I can have a much better spring,¡± Thomas said. ¡°I¡¯m not a guy who¡¯s going to be able to hold in my emotions either way, so if I hear something, you¡¯ll know.¡±
The rookies
Elvin Rodrigiez has 34 days of Major League service. Tyler Black has 31. Caleb Durbin has none. They¡¯ve never been this deep into a big league camp with a chance to make the Opening Day roster.
Black¡¯s parents know the drill. His father, Rod, is a Canadian sportscaster and the former play-by-play man of the Blue Jays. So he¡¯s seen plenty of players in this spot.
¡°He¡¯s been helping me out by telling me, ¡®Just do what you can,¡¯¡± Tyler Black said.
He did that Wednesday, lining a go-ahead, three-run home run in the eighth inning of a win against the White Sox. Black, sitting on a .565 spring OPS, admitted he needed that swing. He¡¯s in the mix with Bauers as a lefty bat for first base.
For Rodriguez, it¡¯s a little more complicated. He and wife Abraiqui have two sons, Elvin Jr. and Ivan. The youngest is only a month old and has a passport but would need a visa to come from the Dominican Republic to the U.S.
¡°So,¡± Rodriguez said, ¡°we wait.¡±