4 players you forgot were on the Brewers' 2025 Opening Day roster

With Opening Day fast approaching, the Milwaukee Brewers feature several new offseason additions on their 40-man roster, including Coleman Crow, Brandon Sproat, Shane Drohan, Kyle Harrison, Sammy Peralta, Ángel Zerpa, David Hamilton, Luis Rengifo, Gary Sánchez and Akil Baddoo. Not all of them will make the Brewers' Opening Day roster, but many are likely to impact the big league club at some point in 2026, making it a great time to look back on players who broke camp with the Brewers in 2025 but ended up not playing a huge factor in the team's success last season.

It's an important reminder that while the Opening Day roster is highly publicized and predicted throughout the offseason, it only offers a brief snapshot of a team's roster throughout the 162-game season. Especially for the Brewers, the 26-man roster is fluid, meaning the team is constantly shuffling players around, so while the Opening Day roster marks a key milestone for many players, it should also be taken with a grain of salt.

4 players you forgot were on the Milwaukee Brewers' 2025 Opening Day roster

1. 3B Oliver Dunn

The Brewers had high expectations for Oliver Dunn after acquiring him in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies back in November of 2023. To complete the deal, Milwaukee gave up two players who were ranked among their Top 30 prospects at the time, Hendry Mendez and Robert Moore, betting on Dunn to continue having success following a breakout 2023 season in both the minors and the Arizona Fall League.

Unfortunately, he never found his footing in Milwaukee, slashing just .206/.261/.290 across 55 games, while battling health issues as well. A back problem cost him much of the 2024 season, and while he was on the Opening Day roster a season ago, he received just 14 games worth of big-league action before eventually being designated for assignment at the end of August. He's now latched on with the Chicago White Sox on a minor league deal.

2. RHP Elvin Rodriguez

Fresh off an impressive 2024 campaign in Japan’s Central League, where he recorded a 1.74 ERA across 88 innings, Milwaukee signed Elvin Rodriguez to a Major League contract. Rodriguez also brought prior big league experience from stints with the Detroit Tigers in 2022 and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023, making him an appealing addition in Milwaukee’s eyes.

Sadly, he struggled mightily for the team. He gave up as many earned runs as innings pitched (18) to begin the year, and was traded for cash to the Baltimore Orioles early in the 2025 season. He bounced around between them and the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, but now is slated to pitch for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the 2026 season.

3. LHP Connor Thomas

The Milwaukee Brewers selected Connor Thomas in the December 2024 Rule 5 Draft, meaning he essentially needed to break camp with the club or be offered back to his previous organization, the St. Louis Cardinals. Thomas ultimately made just two appearances before landing on the injured list with an elbow issue, and he later underwent surgery to remove loose bodies.

Most fans will remember Thomas's role in the Brewers getting slaughtered 20-9 by the New York Yankees during the second game of the season. He pitched two innings in the game, was tagged with eight earned runs, and gave up three home runs. Thomas is now with the Atlanta Braves on a minor league contract.

4. LHP Tyler Alexander

Veteran Tyler Alexander joined the Brewers as a free agent ahead of the 2025 season and quickly became someone they leaned on heavily amid early injuries. He made three starts in April, highlighted by an impressive first outing against the Cincinnati Reds in which he tossed 5.2 hitless innings.

That dominant April outing proved to be the high point for Alexander, as sustained success never followed. After his third turn through the rotation, the Brewers shifted him to the bullpen, where he worked in both multi-inning and short relief roles. On June 1, with a 6.19 ERA, Milwaukee released him, and he was subsequently claimed by the White Sox. For 2026, Alexander signed a one-year, $1.125 million contract with the Texas Rangers.