Thursday, March 27

PHOENIX -- Mark Canha is 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 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, according to a source. 

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
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. Versatile Andrew Monasterio was also in play here, but he was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, seemingly paving the way for Capra and Caleb Durbin to break camp with the team. For Durbin, the question is his defense at third base.

Outfielders (4): Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich
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. Milwaukee still has Isaac Collins active in camp (and on the 40-man roster), and the club signed veteran Manuel Margot as a non-roster invitee in the wake of the Perkins injury. But Bauers could play some left field in a pinch.

Designated hitter: Rotating
Yelich, Contreras, Hoskins, Bauers and Black (if he cracks the roster) are all options here.

Utility (2): Capra, Durbin
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. Durbin needs development defensively, but he would bring speed to the roster. 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.

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. Uribe will have to serve a four-game suspension before he can pitch in the big leagues. Given the Brewers’ thin starting pitching situation, it may be difficult to absorb that suspension right off the bat. 

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.

• Brewers manager Pat Murphy said he set 3 a.m. MST alarms to watch the Dodgers and Cubs in the Tokyo Series, and he wasn’t alone. MLB said it was its largest standalone international event ever. More >>
  
  
• It was a trip down memory lane for many Brewers staffers -- and some reporters -- when Prince Fielder’s son Jadyn stopped by the Major League clubhouse this week. More >>
  
  
• Peralta made his final spring start on Friday. Next stop, Yankee Stadium for a matchup against left-hander Carlos Rodón. More >>

To subscribe to Brewers Beat, visit this page and mark "Brewers Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Brewers or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.