3 ways Brewers could fill their open 40-man roster spot in wake of Luis Matos DFA

Prior to their series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, the Milwaukee Brewers made a pair of roster moves to try and shake things up amid a tough stretch of injuries and underperformance. The Brewers designated outfielder Luis Matos for assignment just weeks after they acquired him from the San Francisco Giants and replaced him on the roster with former top prospect Tyler Black. Milwaukee also made a swap in their bullpen, optioning right-hander Carlos Rodriguez to Triple-A in favor of southpaw Shane Drohan, who covered four innings on Friday night.

In designating Matos for assignment and replacing him with Black, who was already a member of the 40-man, the Brewers opened up a 40-man roster spot which they could fill in a number of different ways. It's important to note that while adding a player to the 40-man roster doesn't necessarily mean they will be immediately added to the active 26-man roster, teams seldom add players to the 40-man who aren't also being promoted to the big leagues, as such a move simply limits their roster flexibility. One recent exception, however, is prospect Cooper Pratt, who signed a long-term extension earlier this month, and included in that deal was a clause that Pratt would be immediately added to the 40-man.

In other words, the Brewers likely won't add someone to the 40-man unless they are immediately needed at the big-league level. It's also important to note that once a player is added to the 40-man the only way they can be removed is by being traded, released, or added to the 60-day IL, so adding players to the 40-man before they are truly ready is risky business as it simply limits roster flexibility. With that in mind, here are three moves the Brewers could make in the near future to address the current hole on their 40-man.

3 moves the Brewers could make to fill their empty 40-man roster spot

1. Promote RHP Jacob Waguespack to MLB roster, option LHP Shane Drohan to Triple-A

The 2026 season has already revealed the necessity of depth in the Brewers' bullpen group. Pat Murphy's aggressive bullpen management style continues, and without expected contributors Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny, Milwaukee has been forced to tap into their Triple-A depth during the first month of the season. So far, said Triple-A bullpen depth has come in the form of long relief. Names like Logan Henderson, Carlos Rodriguez, and Drohan, all of whom have spent a majority of their careers as starting pitchers, have been called upon for multi-inning outings in the big-league 'pen.

While those long relief outings are necessary to reset the bullpen every once in a while, the Brewers already carry Jake Woodford and DL Hall in their relief corps, both of whom can serve as multi-inning, low-leverage arms. Meanwhile, down in Triple-A, right-hander Jacob Waguespack, whom the Brewers signed to a minor league deal this offseason, is impressing with his performance and could be worth a look at the major league level.

Waguespack's 2.77 ERA through his first 10 outings with the Nashville Sounds certainly inspires confidence, but what's even more intriguing is the 32% strikeout rate and incredible 42.9% whiff rate that he boasts through the first month of the season. The 6'6", 32-year-old Waguespack has major league experience, and unfortunately doesn't have any minor league option years remaining, meaning an addition to the 40-man would involve the Brewers sticking with the right-handed reliever unless an injury pops up or he becomes a DFA candidate. However, with a need for a fresh arm in the 'pen and Waguespack off to a hot start, it could be a good time to see what he can do in the big leagues.

2. Promote INF Eddys Leonard to MLB roster, option OF Blake Perkins to Triple-A

With shortstop Joey Ortiz maintaining a .445 OPS through the first month of the season, and third baseman Luis Rengifo not too far behind him at .503, the Brewers could use another option on the left side of the infield. David Hamilton has stepped up and is getting on base at a solid .355 clip, but even his .605 OPS isn't as high as the Brewers would hope for a starting infielder.

Should the Brewers look to add another infielder to their 40-man roster to give them another option in addition to Ortiz, Rengifo, and Hamilton, offseason minor league free agent signee Eddys Leonard is an intriguing option. The utility man is off to an excellent start with the Nashville Sounds, slashing .309/.380/.593 with five homers and six doubles through the first 22 games of the season.

Leonard has posted double-digit homeruns in each of his last five seasons, and maintains a career slugging percentage of .456 throughout his minor league career, but has yet to break through to the big leagues. Where questions lie is Leonard's glove, and those questions have grown louder as the Sounds have elected to play him almost exclusively in left field this year. In fact, Leonard has yet to start a game on the left side of the infield this season, but he has played plenty of third base and shortstop throughout his career. In need of any boost of offense on the left side of their infield, the Brewers might be willing to sacrifice a little defense by calling up Leonard and giving him a shot to prove himself.

3. Promote OF Luis Lara to MLB roster, option OF Blake Perkins to Triple-A

The most exciting, and also least likely way the Brewers could fill their empty 40-man roster spot would be by promoting outfielder Luis Lara to the major league roster. Lara, who is the Brewers No. 11-ranked prospect, is tearing the cover off the baseball in Triple-A right now. He's slashing .347/.439/.561 with five homers and five doubles, which adds up to a team-leading 1.000 OPS.

Lara is still just 21 years old, and while it would certainly be exciting to see him on the major league roster, the Brewers are unlikely to have him make his MLB debut until there are consistent opportunities available for him. With Jackson Chourio set to return to the roster in early May, Lara wouldn't have too much time to prove himself at the major league level before the everyday opportunities no longer exist. Lara may certainly represent an upgrade over current back-up outfielders Blake Perkins and Greg Jones, but the Brewers don't want to promote him to the big-league roster just for him to sit behind Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick, once the former is healthy.

That said, the Brewers currently aren't getting hardly any production from either Jones or Perkins, while Lara's hot streak in Triple-A continues. Should the Brewers want to take advantage of Lara's excellent start to the season and give themselves the best chance to win in the days before Chourio returns, promoting the young, switch-hitting outfielder would be a fun, albeit aggressive and possibly costly, move.

As for the corresponding roster move in each of the last two options, it feels like any roster move that the Brewers make on the position player side of things would either impact Jones or Perkins. Jones, however, is out of minor league options, so for him to be the corresponding move, the Brewers would have to DFA him, just like they did with Matos. Such a move would then open up another 40-man roster spot, seemingly defeating the purpose. Perkins, on the other hand, could be the beneficiary of everyday opportunities in Nashville as he tries to find his footing in the early days of the 2026 campaign.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow