Brewers 2025 Opening Day Roster Prediction: Milwaukee's infield looks very different

We have officially made it to the month of March, meaning we get the start of the 2025 MLB season this month! Aside from the actual start of games that matter, one of the best parts of Opening Day is the pomp and circumstance that kicks off the season. The bunting around the stadium, the team introductions, and of course, the hope and belief that a new season brings to each fanbase.

For a long time, rookies often did not make the Opening Day roster. Especially not in Milwaukee. By holding off on bringing them up right away, teams can manipulate a player's service time so that they can keep an extra year of team control on their contract. Just like the team did with Keston Hiura, or like the Cubs did with Kris Bryant. The last couple seasons though, has seen the Brewers go away from this, with Brice Turang making the initial roster in 2023, and Jackson Chourio in 2024.

We are still a few weeks away the start of the season, with a number of Spring Training games to occur. That, of course, may lead to injuries on the negative, or a player surging through spring, and all but demanding a roster spot. I do believe that we will see at least one rookie make an MLB debut on Opening Day for the Brewers, but who will it be?

Here is our projection for the Brewers 2025 Opening Day roster

Catchers (2)

William Contreras and Eric Haase are pretty much locked in for the Opening Day roster, barring injury. Contreras is a lock, and is one of the MVP candidates on this roster. Haase was the Spring Training darling last year, but ultimately, the team went with Gary Sanchez as the backup. Haase did get called up during the season and was a big contributor when called upon.

Jeferson Quero might have made the case to be on the big league roster had he not missed all of last season with an injury in the opening game of the season with Triple A Nashville. He has yet to appear in a Spring Training game this offseason, but he is one of the top prospects in the game, and will likely make an appearance in Milwaukee at some point this summer.

Infield (7)

There are a few no brainers around the Brewers infield. Rhys Hoskins will be at first, Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz will be somewhere in the infield, potentially moving around. Mark Canha feels pretty certain given his ability to play 1st and in the outfield.

Top prospect Caleb Durbin feels like he may crack the initial roster. While he has had a slower start in Spring Training games, hitting just .167/.250/.333 in the teams first few games, he has shown some pop as well as speed in his few appearances and has looked better as time has gone on.

If Durbin makes the team, that would likely leave one spot open between Andruw Monasterio and Oliver Dunn. I give the nod to Monasterio, as he is a bit more versatile defensively, despite Dunn looking rock solid in Spring Training so far. Vinny Capra also gets a nod here, as he is out of minor league options and is crushing the ball in spring training.

Milwaukee will likely option Oliver Dunn and Tyler Black to Triple A Nashville, ready to join the team if needed. Jake Bauers is on a minor league deal, and will likely come up short in his pursuit of making the big league club.

Outfield (4)

The only question here is if Yelich will be fully healthy to start the season. In all likelihood, he will be, as he appeared in his first Cactus League over this past weekend. Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick are also making the roster as well. While 4 may seem light, Monasterio and Canha are versatile enough to play both infield and outfield, boosting that number up towards 6.

Manuel Margot will then have to decide between opting out and playing with Triple A Nashville. Blake Perkins will join the the fray once he returns from his injury.

Rotation (5)

With the brand new addition of Jose Quintana, Milwaukee will have a deep rotation of guys to choose from. Freddy Peralta has earned the Opening Day nod, with Aaron Civale and Tobias Myers returning from last year.

Milwaukee also added Nestor Cortes, acquiring him from the Yankees along with Durbin, in exchange for Devin Williams. Brandon Woodruff may be ready for Opening Day, but the signing of Quintana may put some doubt on his availability.

Bullpen (8)

Once again, some of the usual suspects are here. Trevor Megill will open as the closer, having served in that role for much of last season with Devin Williams on the IL. We will see Joel Payamps, Elvis Peguero, Nick Mears, Jared Koenig, and Bryan Hudson.

This leaves 3 guys vying for 2 spots. Aaron Ashby will likely figure grab the long reliever spot, provided he is healthy. Ashby did leave his appearance on Monday evening with injury, but it seems like he will avoid a significant injury.

So barring an IL stint for Ashby, that leaves one spot. I am giving that to Connor Thomas, the Brewers Rule 5 Draft pickup from the St. Louis Cardinals. This means the Brewers need to keep him on the big league roster all season, outside of injury, or he would go back to the Cardinals.

This leaves Abner Uribe without a roster spot. Uribe, by all accounts, has matured a lot this offseason, and revamped his stuff. However, the hurdle he faces is that he still faces a 4 game suspension. Whenever the team brings him back, and they most likely will at some point, he won't actually be available when they need him. There is an outside shot that he makes the Opening Day roster if someone is unavailable with injury, to get the suspension over with.

IL (2)

The signing of Jose Quintana makes us think that the Brewers will be without Brandon Woodruff right away. While he will likely be available sooner rather than later, fans may need to wait just a bit longer.

On the same topic, DL Hall will likely be out for sometime, with a stint on the 60 Day IL looming to create a 40 man roster spot for Jose Quintana. The move to add Quintana also speaks to the likelihood of Hall missing significant time, and that the Brewers needed a left handed presence in the rotation.

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