3 burning questions the Brewers are nowhere close to answering

As the 2025 regular season approaches the one-month mark, the Milwaukee Brewers find themselves in a promising position, but they have had to battle lots of adversity along the way. From starting pitcher injuries, poor production at third base, a weak offensive lineup against southpaws, and a shakeup in the bullpen, here are three burning questions the Brewers are nowhere close to answering. 

Three burning questions the Milwaukee Brewers are nowhere close to answering

Can Joel Payamps return to form?

Since being acquired as a part of the William Contreras trade, Joel Payamps has had a pair of great seasons with the Brewers. In 2023, he pitched to a 2.55 ERA over 70.2 innings with 27 holds and three saves. Last year, he backed that up with a 3.05 ERA over 59.0 innings with 21 holds and six saves.

Unfortunately, he faltered during the 2024 postseason and hasn't been great to begin the 2025 campaign either, as he has allowed 13 earned runs over 7.0 innings pitched. Pat Murphy has cited pitch tipping and Payamps' confidence being shaken as two contributing factors for his struggles.

With the 31-year-old struggling, Murphy plans to shift him into a lower-leverage role in hopes of helping him regain form. However, with pitchers like DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, and Brandon Woodruff working their way back, and prospects Logan Henderson, Craig Yoho, and Chad Patrick gaining valuable big-league experience, Payamps' roster spot could be in jeopardy, especially since he’s out of minor league options. Still, moving on from a reliever who’s been outstanding over the past two seasons is far from an easy decision and likely isn't one the Brewers plan on making soon.

Where does Logan Henderson fit in the 2025 Brewers plans?

After spring training injuries to DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, and Tobias Myers, the Brewers’ starting rotation to begin the year consisted of Freddy Peralta, Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, Elvin Rodriguez, and Chad Patrick. Unfortunately, Civale hit the injured list after just one start, and Cortes two. Since then, Civale has suffered a setback in his recovery, and Cortes was recently transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Despite gaining a valuable rotation addition in José Quintana, Milwaukee felt compelled to pay a lump sum of two players and a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick in order to acquire Quinn Priester. So far, Quintana, Priester, and Patrick have impressed early on, but Logan Henderson added to the competition in a big way by making a strong case for himself with a sensational MLB debut consisting of 6.0 innings pitched, three hits allowed, one earned run, and nine strikeouts.

Although Henderson was optioned down after his debut, his performance and upside make him a favorite to return at some point this season. However, when factoring in both active and injured arms, the Brewers have more than 10 viable starting pitching options if everyone returns to full health this season, potentially creating a tough path back to the big leagues for Henderson.

Can the Brewers improve against left-handed pitchers?

The Brewers' outfield leans heavily to the left side, with everyday contributors like Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell, all swinging from the left-handed batter's box. With switch hitter Blake Perkins injured, this has led to Isaac Collins seeing playing time as an outfielder against southpaws.

Of the left-handed hitting outfield group, Frelick is the only one currently thriving against left-handed pitching. Yelich has had success in the past, but he's off to a slow start this season in those matchups. Meanwhile, Mitchell has largely been shielded from facing lefties, limiting his opportunities to prove himself in those situations.

When Perkins returns, the outfield configuration may shift against lefties so that he is in center field, resulting in either Jackson Chourio or Christian Yelich in left field and Sal Frelick in right field. However, one player isn't going to change the fact that as a team Milwaukee has just a .237 batting average with a .641 OPS against southpaws, which both rank in the middle to bottom of the pack. Moreso, it will take improved contributions from right-handed hitters like Rhys Hoskins, Joey Ortiz, and whoever is playing third base to make the team click against southpaws.

It feels like there have been more questions than answers when taking a look at these challenges, so it will be interesting to see how Milwaukee responds and adjusts to these three key issues. Whatever their response is, it must come quickly, as continued struggles such as these could affect the team's ability to defend their 2024 NL Central title.