3 Brewers players who need to be on a short leash early in the 2025 season

The quest for three consecutive National League Central titles is on for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2025. In what's become traditional Brewers fashion though, they go into the season after a winter where they didn't exactly set the world on fire in either the free agent or trade markets.

This means they'll go about their business by continuing to play between-the-margins style baseball with group of young and exciting talent as well as some crafty veterans.

This creative approach also means some names will be on shorter leashes than others in Milwaukee in the early stages of 2025.

3 Brewers players who need to be on a short leash early in the 2025 season

Rhys Hoskins

The Hoskins experiment in Milwaukee hasn't exactly gone to plan, and signs point to the Brewers themselves acknowledging this, as they were reportedly open to trading him this winter, as per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

In 517 plate appearances last season, the soon-to-be 32-year-old first baseman only mustered a .214 AVG, and a .722 OPS with a 100 wRC+ and just a 0.1 fWAR.

While he wasn't a terrible player in 2024, there's loftier expectations that come with the $18 million per year price tag he carries, especially after three straight seasons posting a 123 wRC+ or higher with the Phillies from 2020 to 2022.

Now that spring training is underway and Hoskins is still on the roster, Milwaukee will have to operate under the assumption he'll be in the mix come Opening Day. That being said, by no means should he be considered a lineup lock for the Crew in 2025.

As of right now, FanGraphs RosterResource has Hoskins as the starting first baseman. However, Tyler Black is waiting in the wings waiting for his time to shine on a regular basis at the major league level.

And the DH spot looks clogged in 2025 with Christian Yelich set to occupy that role season, which is the only other realistic spot in the lineup for Hoskins to occupy.

So with limited roles available and plenty of competition within the roster, Hoskins need to ensure he doesn't continue to give the Brewers reasons to move off of him in the early going.

DL Hall

Hall's first campaign in a Brewers uniform was likely one he wants a do-over on.

He spent his time consistently flipping between the big league club and Triple-A Nashville, but when when he was in the majors he threw to a 5.02 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and .279 BAA in 13 outings, seven of which were starts.

Hall is currently suffering a lat injury and manager Pat Murphy said he'll be sidelined for multiple weeks because of it, as per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

This adds pressure in and itself for the 26-year-old, without mentioning the additional starting comeptition.

Brandon Woodruff is slated to make his return to the mound from shoulder surgery. The likes of Aaron Ashby and the newly acquired Elvin Rodríguez are also in the major league starting mix. Then there's farm hands like Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick who are also vying for a major league opportunity in 2025.

Despite his struggles with his four-seamer, with a .395 BAA and .553 SLG, his secondary offerings (changeup, curveball, slider) all posted sub-.210 BAAs and sub.-400 SLG, so he has a diverse enough arsenal to handle a move to the bullpen should the Brewers want a new MLB role for him.

However, if he wants to remain in the big league rotation mix in 2025, he has to make the most of his opportunities right off the bat, as there's plenty of names the Brewers can turn to if doesn't.

Aaron Ashby

Then there's Aaron Ashby, who as we've touched upon already, is in the 2025 rotation mix and has already made a start this spring.

Ashby was excellent in a relief capacity for Milwaukee in 2024, as in 19 2/3 innings out of the 'pen he pitched to a 1.37 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, .167 BAA and 12.81 K/9.

The 26-year-old southpaw finds himself on this list not because he's a poor major leaguer, but instead because he's struggled as a starting option. In 8 2/3 innings as a starter in the majors last year, Ashby threw to a 6.23 ERA.

The fact he's found a role that's been mutually beneficial to both him and the Brewers makes it all the the more appealing to run him out of the 'pen again.

However, if the goal is to have him take a crack at starting again, the same goes for him as it does for Hall, he must hit the ground running early on because there's plenty of names within both the major league squad and the minor leagues that the Brewers can pivot to if necessary.

More Brewers News from Reviewing the Brew