3 ways the Brewers could fill their empty 40-man roster spot after Luis Rengifo's DFA

Earlier this week, the Milwaukee Brewers made a much-anticipated change to their big-league roster, calling up shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt for his MLB debut and designating third baseman Luis Rengifo for assignment. The move makes Pratt the everyday shortstop for the foreseeable future, while creating a platoon of Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton at third base.

Rengifo, who joined the Brewers as a free agent signing back in February, is currently on waivers, but if a team claims him, they would be on the hook for the remainder of his $3.5 million salary, making it far more likely that he is eventually released from the Brewers' roster before signing a league-minimum deal with a new team. Regardless of how the situation eventually plays out, the reality is that Milwaukee now has an open spot on their 40-man roster, and how they elect to fill that is an interesting question.

3 ways the Milwaukee Brewers could fill the open spot on their 40-man roster following Luis Rengifo DFA

1. Save the roster flexibility for the midseason trade deadline

MLB's August 3rd trade deadline is fast approaching, and as a result, rumors have started to surface in regard to who the Brewers might add to their roster for their 2026 postseason run. While top trade candidate Tarik Skubal continues to be mentioned as a possibility for the Brewers, names like Joe Ryan or Sonny Gray would be far more reasonable when it comes to the prospect capital that Milwaukee would have to surrender in order to acquire them.

Whether it's adding a third shut-down starter to a rotation that already includes the formidable duo of Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, acquiring a high-leverage arm to add to the back-end of the Brewers' bullpen, or trading for a bat who can eliminate the few remaining holes in their lineup, Milwaukee will want to have open 40-man roster spots when the midseason trade deadline arrives. Not having those spots last year resulted in the Brewers designating both Elvis Peguero and Byan Hudson for assignment, the latter of which has become a dominant relief arm for the Chicago White Sox this year.

2. Bolster the bullpen staff with Gerson Garabito or another Triple-A arm

The most likely avenue that the Brewers will take when it comes to filling their empty 40-man roster spot is by promoting a Triple-A arm to their big-league roster. 30-year-old right-hander Gerson Garabito is one of the leading candidates currently on the Nashville Sounds' roster to be that future call-up. While Garabito's numbers don't look great in his small sample size with the Sounds this year, his elevated ERA is the result of one poor outing, and his five-pitch arsenal, headlined by an excellent sinker, remains promising.

With the Brewers' bullpen currently featuring recently DFAd right-hander Joel Kuhnel, prospect Craig Yoho, and offseason minor league free agent signing Drew Rom, who recently got the call from Triple-A, all it would take is one of those three arms to post a series of poor outings for Garabito to potentially get the call-up to the big leagues. Whether or not that door opens remains to be seen, but Garabito is likely to help the big-league club at some point in 2026.

3. Call up infield prospect Jett Williams

Though it's certainly the most unlikely of the three scenarios, the Brewers could replace the recently DFAd Rengifo on the 40-man roster with another versatile infielder in Jett Williams. The 22-year-old Williams, who was acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade, could be the next Brewers prospect to make his MLB debut after Cooper Pratt. While Williams isn't necessarily knocking down the door to the big leagues, with a modest slash line of .223/.330/.385 in Triple-A to prove it, there's still a possibility that he gives the Brewers more production than utility infielder Joey Ortiz or fourth outfielder Blake Perkins, both of whom play positions Williams could fill.

Against righties, Williams has just a .645 OPS, but his .908 mark against lefties tells a story of a player who could offer value to the Brewers' big-league squad. That said, the Brewers will only add Williams to the 40-man roster if they feel his MLB debut is imminent (or offer him a long-term contract extension like Pratt or Luis Lara), and Milwaukee seems unlikely to force the issue with their No. 3-ranked prospect if he's not 100% ready for the big leagues. While Brewers fans would certainly like to see Pratt and Williams on the left side of the infield in the near future, that reality will likely have to wait for a later date.

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