3 dark horse candidates to make the Brewers’ 2026 Opening Day roster

Despite the Milwaukee Brewers shortening their offseason with an NLCS run in the 2025 postseason, the roughly five months without MLB baseball from November to late March never fail to feel like an eternity. The light, however, is growing at the end of the tunnel, as just 12 days remain before the Crew opens their season with a home game against the Chicago White Sox.

Over the course of those 12 days, Pat Murphy, Matt Arnold, and their team of decision-makers will have to whittle down their roster to just 26 players. Injuries have already slimmed their options for the Opening Day roster, with players like Quinn Priester and Akil Baddoo seemingly out of the running for a spot on the initial 26-man. However, questions still remain as to who will be in the Brewers' Opening Day starting rotation, who will make up the team's inaugural relief corps, and which four position players will construct Milwaukee's team of reserves when the season begins is less than two weeks.

With several questions still unanswered, the opportunity remains for an under-the-radar player to swoop in and grab one of the 26 roster spots. Here are three "dark horse" candidates who could make a surprise appearance on the Brewers' Opening Day roster.

3 players who could be surprise inclusions on the Milwaukee Brewers' 2026 Opening Day roster

1. LHP Shane Drohan

The Brewers acquired left-handed starting pitcher Shane Drohan from the Boston Red Sox as part of the return in the Caleb Durbin trade that caught the fanbase by surprise. What also caught the fanbase by surprise is just how interesting of a pitcher Drohan is, despite him being the lesser-known name of the three players that Milwaukee acquired from Boston. Whether it be the 35.3% strikeout rate that Drohan produced in Triple-A last year or the success that he's shown during Spring Training this year, there are plenty of aspects of his game that bode well for his future in MLB.

That future MLB career, however, has yet to begin, despite Drohan being 27 years of age. Injuries have prevented Drohan from making his big-league debut up to this point, but there's no denying his talent when he's on the mound. His lack of big-league experience is contradicted by the polished arsenal of pitches that the left-handed Drohan showcases.

For Drohan to make the Opening Day roster, it would likely mean that in addition to Priester not being ready at the start of the season, both Brandon Woodruff and Logan Henderson -- whose Opening Day statuses are in question -- also miss out on the Brewers' initial 26-man. Additionally, Drohan would have to beat out players like Robert Gasser and Carlos Rodriguez for the final rotation spot, assuming Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, and Kyle Harrison make up the rest of the rotation in this hypothetical situation. It's certainly an uphill battle for Drohan, but if it was simply up to Spring Training results, the lefty newcomer holds the upper hand.

2. OF Brandon Lockridge

Speedy outfielder Brandon Lockridge didn't look like much more of a depth piece when the Brewers acquired him at the midseason trade deadline last year. However, the 28-year-old former 5th-round draft pick has arrived at Spring Training with something to prove this year. While his numbers have slowed a bit in recent weeks, Lockridge still holds a .998 Cactus League OPS, with an eye-opening .545 slugging percentage.

That slugging percentage is surprising because when the Brewers acquired Lockridge last year, a lack of power seemed to be his biggest flaw; he has excellent bat-to-ball skills, elite abilities in the outfield, and lightning-quick speed. If Lockridge can add power to that repertoire of "tools," his high floor will be accompanied by a raised ceiling that is likely to excite Brewers fans.

Blake Perkins seems to have the fourth outfielder role locked up heading into the 2026 season, seeing as it's been his role with the Brewers when healthy for the last two and a half years, but Lockridge certainly has an argument. With Baddoo now out of the race, after sustaining a quad strain that is likely to keep him out for the first few weeks of the regular season, it's a two man race between Lockridge and Perkins. That latter is the favorite, but don't count out Lockridge just yet.

3. RHP Easton McGee

The Brewers still have a couple of decisions to make in their bullpen group, and one thing the powers that be might consider when making those choices is the breakdown of lefties and righties. Milwaukee has a number of left-handed relief options -- Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Jared Koenig, Ángel Zerpa, Rob Zastryzny -- which could favor a right-hander like Easton McGee when it comes to earning a spot on the Opening Day rotation.

McGee has been incredible this spring, covering 6.1 innings in four appearances and striking out seven opponents in the process. His elevated 2025 ERA was the result of one bad outing in which McGee allowed five earned runs, and him having just eight other opportunities to reduce it.

Should the Brewers prioritize a more balanced bullpen to start the season, one that includes four lefties instead of five, McGee has a real shot of grabbing a spot in the Brewers' initial bullpen group.