5 realistic September call-up candidates who could boost Brewers' roster down the stretch

The final month of Major League Baseball's regular season is upon us, and the Milwaukee Brewers, for the second consecutive season, enter September with the best record in baseball. Once again predicted to see their NL Central reign come to an end during the 2026 season by members of the national media before the season began, the Brew Crew carries an 8.0-game divison lead into their final game of August.

The arrival of September also comes with MLB's only roster expansion of their 162-game marathon. Fans may remember that rosters used to expand to an unbelievable 40 players during the final month of the regular season, but ever since the 2020 campaign, September rosters have been capped at 28 players, representing just a two-player addition from the usual 26-man rosters.

Regardless, those two extra roster spots are huge for teams this time of year. Many players are feeling the effects of baseball's grueling schedule when the final month of the season rolls around, and the added rest provided by having two more players on the roster is certainly a welcome development. The only limitation of the roster expansion is that teams can only carry a maximum of 14 pitchers on their roster at any given time -- which most teams elect to do. Therefore, expect the Brewers to add one pitcher and one position player to their squad when the rosters expand tomorrow. Here are five players who could realistically receive a call-up throughout the month.

5 players who could realistically be promoted to the Brewers' major-league squad when rosters expand in September

1. LHP JoJo Romero

Trade deadline acquisition JoJo Romero is a lock to be added to the big-league roster at some point during the month of September. The question is simply, when? Romero has been away from a major league mound since the middle of July, when he underwent an emergency appendectomy. In the time since his procedure, Romero was traded to the Brewers from the St. Louis Cardinals, in the same trade that brought Dustin May to Milwaukee, and has embarked on a minor league rehab assignment.

Romero, who was sporting a 3.35 ERA in 43 innings with the Cardinals before landing on the injured list, has made two appearances for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers over the last week, and posted scoreless innings in each of them. His most recent outing, a one-inning appearance against the South Bend Cubs this past Friday, included three strikeouts -- an encouraging sign that Romero's stuff is sharp and his return to the big leagues is nearing.

Romero could be in the Brewers' bullpen as early as tomorrow night, when the rosters officially expand. Though he will likely be eased back into MLB with some low-leverage appearances, Romero is expected to cover important innings for the Brewers down the stretch. Expect the southpaw to be called up by the Brew Crew in the very near future.

2. RHP Coleman Crow

Milwaukee has rolled with a six-man rotation for the entire month of August -- a strategy adopted to give their young starters some additional rest days as many of them approach career-high innings counts. While the Brewers likely won't maintain a six-man rotation throughout September, when they have three days off in four weeks, calling upon right-hander Coleman Crow to make a spot start or two down the stretch, perhaps once playoff races have been decided, could be an excellent way for Milwaukee to ensure their key starting pitchers are fresh for the postseason.

Crow made five appearances (four starts) for the Brewers in May and June before sustaining a flexor strain that landed him on the IL. Though the results were mixed in those five big-league outings, the 25-year-old Crow displayed an intriguing arsenal of pitches that proved he was ready for the challenge of the majors.

Upon his return from the injured list, Crow was optioned to Triple-A Nashville, where he's pitched ever since. In nine starts for the Sounds since his return, Crow has posted a 2.45 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. He's certainly hit his stride over these last two months and earned a spot start or two with the big-league club in September should the Brewers want to give more rest to their projected postseason starters.

3. OF Brandon Lockridge

As reported by Reviewing the Brew's Owen Jonas, among others, manager Pat Murphy noted before Saturday night's win against the Texas Rangers that the position player the Brewers would most likely add to their roster in September would either be a right-handed hitting outfielder or a catcher. The only right-handed hitting outfielder on the Brewers' 40-man roster who isn't currently on the active 26-man roster is Brandon Lockridge, who was optioned to Triple-A on August 19 to make room for Cooper Pratt's return from the IL.

It's been a rather frustrating season for Lockridge, who saw a freak injury back in early May somewhat derail his season. Lockridge was off to a strong start before the injury -- a knee laceration caused by sliding into the unpadded portion of the wall in foul territory at American Family Field -- and was earning regular playing time with Jackson Chourio on the IL. However, while Lockridge was rehabbing the knee injury, the Brewers signed switch-hitting outfielder Luis Lara to a long-term contract extension and later promoted him to the big-league roster. With Lara in the mix when Lockridge eventually returned from the IL, playing time was much harder to come by.

However, Lockridge, due to his excellent defensive capabilities and lightning-quick speed on the basepaths, could be a valuable player to have on the bench in September. Whether it be for pinch-running opportunities, late-game defensive replacements, or pinch-hit appearances against southpaws, having Lockridge as an option off the bench could help the Brewers in the final month of the season.

4. C Bo Naylor

Keeping in line with Murphy's comments, if the Brewers elect not to call up Lockridge, they will instead add a third catcher to their roster. In such a scenario, the most likely candidate is trade deadline acquisition Bo Naylor. The 26-year-old left-handed hitting Naylor was acquired in a deadline deal that sent Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins to the Cleveland Guardians. In the time since the trade, Naylor, who was struggling with the Guardians and their Triple-A affiliate, has been on an absolute tear with the Nashville Sounds.

In 14 games in Triple-A since the trade, Naylor has four homers, four doubles, 17 RBI, and is maintaining a .903 OPS. He's pulling the ball less than he did in Cleveland and finding far more success. Naylor, who has big-league experience and could allow the Brewers to give William Contreras more days off and use Gary Sánchez as a pinch hitter without worrying about losing their only catcher on the bench, would certainly be an intriguing addition to the roster down the stretch, but there's a wrinkle in the plan.

Naylor, expected to be an important piece of the Brewers' catching picture going forward, is right on the cusp of losing a year of service time. It is estimated that if he spends anywhere from 12-14 days on the active roster, he will have just three years of team control remaining after this year as opposed to four. That trade-off might not be one the Brewers are willing to make just to add a third catcher to their roster.

5. C Jeferson Quero

Outside of Contreras, Sánchez, and Naylor, the Brewers have one more catcher on their 40-man roster: prospect Jeferson Quero. The 23-year-old Quero made his MLB debut earlier this season, appearing in just one game, during which he collected two at-bats, but his lack of service time means he still qualifies as a prospect, and will carry his rookie eligibility into the 2027 season.

Quero was the Brewers' top overall prospect as recently as last year, but a series of injuries stalled his career. He's managed to remain healthy this year and has logged a solid slash line of .257/.330/.425 with 15 homers and 15 doubles in Triple-A, but a lack of opportunities at the major-league level, due to the strong performances from Contreras and Sánchez, has kept Quero in the minor leagues throughout the summer.

Seeing as Quero will be an important piece of the Brewers' roster in 2027 and beyond, giving him some big-league experience down the stretch this year could be a wise move. The right-handed hitting catcher is certainly redundant on a roster with Contreras and Sánchez, but like Naylor, having Quero on the roster could change how the Brewers utilize their current major-league catching tandem.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow