3 Brewers prospects that are ready for a promotion

While Milwaukee Brewers fans wait for their big league club to find its way, there is plenty to be excited about in the farm system. With several MLB Pipeline Top-100 prospects, emerging former first-round picks, and multiple league-leading squads, the Brewers minor league system is filled with intriguing talent that will be impacting the big-league roster before you know it.

Several prospects are already proving themselves at their respective levels and have gained national attention for their impressive starts to the 2025 seasons. While it may seem clear that these players are ready for the next level of the minor leagues, mid-season promotions are not taken lightly. Rushing a player’s path through the farm system can have adverse effects on their development.

That said, there are a few prospects in the Brewers' system that have proved they are more than ready for their next challenge. And while there might be more candidates, let's take a look at three players with some of the strongest cases for promotion to the next level.

1. 3B Brock Wilken (Double-A to Triple-A)

Taken by the Brewers in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest University, Brock Wilken might have the strongest case for promotion of any prospect in the Brewers organization. Following his selection in the 2023 draft, which took place in July, Wilken was assigned to the Brewers' Rookie Ball affiliate in the Arizona Complex League. He spent just seven games with the ACL Brewers before being promoted to High-A, skipping the Low-A level altogether. By the end of the 2023 season, a mere two months after he was drafted, Wilken was already appearing in games for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers.

He started the 2024 season right back where he finished in 2023, in Biloxi, Mississippi, with the Brewers' Double-A affiliate. Last season was an up-and-down year for the slugging third baseman, who was playing his first full professional season in the pitcher-friendly Southern League. Additionally, he was hit by a pitch in the face and welcomed his first child during the 2024 season, adding to the already-present pressure of being a 21-year-old in Double-A. Despite it all, Wilken still smacked 17 HR, which was the fourth most in the Southern League in 2024.

This season, with a full year of experience under his belt, Wilken is on another level. He's leading the Southern League in HR, OPS, and walks, while sporting a slash line of .242/.425/.550. However, Wilken has really turned things on since the calendar flipped to May. He's homered in seven of his last ten games, and currently holds a ridiculous .872 slugging percentage in May.

With 150 games of experience with the Shuckers and a clear handle on the Double-A pitching, it's time for Wilken to be promoted to Triple-A Nashville. He's proved that he's capable of making the necessary adjustments and has shown an impressive improvement in his plate discipline this season. Both of those signs indicate he's ready for his next challenge.

2. CL Justin Yeager (Double-A to Triple-A)

There are several players currently on the Shuckers that are worthy of a promotion to the next level, but many of them are playing in their first season in Double-A, and more time is needed to determine whether they are ready for a new challenge or if they are simply on a hot streak. However, Justin Yeager, much like Wilken, has plenty of experience in Double-A and has proved time and time again that he's ready for the next level.

Yeager had already appeared in 38 Double-A games when the Brewers snuck him into the William Contreras trade in December of 2022. The Brewers kept him in Double-A to start the 2023 season, but Yeager unfortunately lost most of the season to an injury. He bounced back in a big way in 2024, collecting 20 saves for the Shuckers, and striking out 56 batters in 51 innings.

After an impressive showing in the Puerto Rican Winter League this past offseason, during which Yeager posted a 1.90 ERA and converted all 11 of his save opportunities, he's once again off to a hot start for the Shuckers. Serving as their main closer, Yeager sports a 1.88 ERA and is 5 for 5 in save opportunities.

With Yeager approaching his 100th career appearance in Double-A, it's fair to say he has nothing left to prove at the level. He's shown that he's more than ready for Triple-A, where he would likely continue to pitch in high-leverage situations.

3. INF Jadher Areinamo (High-A to Double-A)

After a full season of High-A ball a season ago, many thought the Brewers' 23rd-ranked prospect, Jadher Areinamo, would start the 2025 season in Double-A. Originally signed as an international free agent in January of 2021, Areinamo slashed .301/.349/.442 with 30 doubles, 10 home runs, and 32 stolen bases in 110 games for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers a season ago.

Still just 21 years old, Areinamo has risen steadily through the Brewers minor league system, while posting an OPS between .715 and .791 in each of his four seasons in Milwaukee's farm system. He has a funky stance and swing, but it works for him. While his 5'8", 160-lb frame suggests that he will never be a huge power threat, he makes up for it with a high average due in part to his elite ability to make contact and his ability to use all fields.

Defensively, Areinamo has the ability to play second base, shortstop, and third base, but he's best suited for keystone position due to a below average arm, according to MLB Pipeline.

In his first 35 games of the 2025 season, Areinamo has proven that he's more than ready for the next level. With more than a full season of High-A experience, Areinamo is posting career highs in slugging percentage and OPS in the young 2025 season. He's certainly up for the challenge of Double-A, but the delay on his promotion might be due less to his own play and more a factor of the Shuckers' crowded infield. Should Wilken get the call-up to Triple-A, don't be surprised if Areinamo is the one to replace him on Biloxi's roster.

Honorable mention: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (Triple-A to MLB)

While this article was intended to cover promotions within the Brewers' minor league system, you can't write an article about prospect promotions right now and not include Jacob Misiorowski's name.

He's been lights-out for the Sounds in his last five starts, allowing just two earned runs while covering 30.2 innings and striking out 38 opposing batters. He's clearly reined in the walks this season, as evidenced by his WHIP, which currently sits at an incredible 0.89. Oh, and by the way, he just threw the fastest pitch of any starter at any level since 2008 in his start against the Memphis Redbirds yesterday afternoon, according to Baseball America.

Misiorowski doesn't currently hold a 40-man roster spot, and with the returns of Aaron Civale, Aaron Ashby, and DL Hall on the horizon (of which only Hall needs to be re-added to the 40-man roster), there isn't an obvious spot for him on the big league roster. But when a player has been as impressive as Miz has been, you make room for him.