Brewers' 2026 Opening Day roster officially announced

Just over 24 hours remain before Jacob Misiorowski will fire the first pitch of the Milwaukee Brewers' 2026 season. Set for a matinee with the Chicago White Sox tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 p.m. CT, the Brewers have officially finalized their 26-man Opening Day roster.

Once Milwaukee announced on Monday afternoon that their Opening Day starting rotation would consist of Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, Kyle Harrison, and Brandon Woodruff (in that order), much of the remaining questions about who would make the initial 26-man roster were answered.

The Brewers' front office did throw a small wrench into those plans when they traded for right-hander Jake Woodford from the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday afternoon. Though Woodford technically had 72 hours to report to the Brewers, meaning he didn't need to be included on the Opening Day roster, Milwaukee has elected to carry the versatile right-hander on their initial 26-man.

A full breakdown of the Brewers' 2026 Opening Day roster

Catchers (2): William Contreras, Gary Sánchez

Though William Contreras, one of the best catchers in MLB, was always set to return as the Brewers' go-to backstop in 2026, who was going to be backing him up was an unanswered question for much of the offseason. The leading candidate, up until late January, was former top prospect Jeferson Quero, whose minor league career was stalled due to a major shoulder injury in 2024.

After deciding that Quero needs a bit more time to develop in Triple-A, the Brewers went out and signed two veteran catchers: Reese McGuire on a minor league deal, and Gary Sánchez on a major league contract. With Sánchez earning a spot on the 40-man roster, he immediately became the favorite to back up Contreras at the beginning of the season, and seeing the writing on the wall was McGuire, who opted out of his minor league contract and signed with the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

Infielders (6): Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, Joey Ortiz, Luis Rengifo, David Hamilton

Though Jake Bauers is expected to be the left-handed complement to Andrew Vaughn at first base, he's also going to see plenty of time in the corner outfield, especially if his bat continues to be as impressive as it was during the spring exhibition season. Coming off of a breakout 2025 season, that was followed by an exceptional performance for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Brice Turang will once again be the Brewers' everyday second baseman in 2026. He will be joined up the middle by Joey Ortiz, who's hoping for a bounce-back season at the plate, while continuing to be one of the premier defensive shortstops in the league.

At third base, Pat Murphy confirmed that the Brewers will roll with a platoon of Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton, with the latter also seeing some time at shortstop throughout the season. Hamilton is also Murphy's pick to take a "quantum leap" this year, and posted a .903 OPS during Cactus League play this spring.

Outfielders (5): Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Brandon Lockridge, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich

Though Christian Yelich is expected to see most of his at-bats as the Brewers' designated hitter in 2026, Murphy noted that the former MVP could see more time in the outfield this year than he did in 2025 when he logged just 19 games in left field. Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick, meanwhile, are expected to play most days, with Frelick being the right fielder, and Chourio's defensive position depending on who the third outfielder is on any given day.

As the two best defensive outfielders on the roster, Garrett Mitchell and Brandon Lockridge will both man center field when their names are in the lineup. To some degree, the two will form a platoon in center field to start the season, with Lockridge hitting from the right side and Mitchell from the left, but as previously alluded to, Chourio could also see some time in center field once again this year if someone like Yelich or Bauers starts in left.

Starting pitchers (5): Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, Kyle Harrison, Brandon Woodruff

The starting rotation served as the most closely watched roster battle of Spring Training. The injury to Quinn Priester and Woodruff's slow build-up to the regular season brought into question what the starting staff would look like on Opening Day. However, to Brewers fans' delight, when the Opening Day rotation was announced earlier this week, Woody's name was a part of it. Woodruff won't start Opening Day -- that honor has been passed to Misiorowski -- but he will get a start during the first time through the rotation, pitching at home against the Rays next Tuesday.

Murphy confirmed that Patrick would be a part of the initial starting rotation fairly early on, and with Harrison having the third-most experience among Brewers starters (behind Woodruff and Priester), the southpaw was always a good bet to make the Opening Day rotation. Sproat, who the Brewers received in the Freddy Peralta blockbuster, earned the final spot and found out in the most Murphy way possible. According to Murphy, he informed Sproat that he made the Opening Day rotation by saying, "Hey, you made the team. Deal with it." Sproat then went out and shoved in his final tune-up on Tuesday night, giving him confidence as he dives headfirst into his first full MLB season.

Relief pitchers (8): Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, Ángel Zerpa, Jared Koenig, DL Hall, Grant Anderson, Jake Woodford

The Brewers are set to once again have one of the stronger bullpens in baseball in 2026. The two-headed monster of Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe at the back-end of the bullpen, with questions still outstanding as to who will be the "true closer" in 2026, is a duo that no opposing team wants to face. Paired with Milwaukee's quartet of nasty left-handers -- Aaron Ashby, Ángel Zerpa, Jared Koenig, and DL Hall -- the Brewers' relief corps will continue to be one of the strengths of their roster.

The injury that southpaw Rob Zastryzny, who was expected to be a part of the Opening Day roster, suffered in the World Baseball Classic opened the door for right-hander Easton McGee to make his first Opening Day roster. However, when the Brewers added Woodford via trade on Tuesday afternoon, McGee became the odd man out, and today he was officially optioned to Triple-A. Woodford, who is coming off a strong spring season, has the ability to go multiple innings and will likely assume a low-leverage role at the beginning of the year.

All in all, there aren't too many surprises on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster. Most of the remaining questions from Spring Training were answered earlier this week. Three players are on an Opening Day roster for the first time in their careers: Misiorowski, Sproat, and Anderson. Seven more will be a part of the Brewers' Opening Day roster for the first time: Harrison, Zerpa, Vaughn, Rengifo, Hamilton, Lockridge, and Woodford. Meanwhile, five Brewers will begin the 2026 season on the injured list: Priester, Zastryzny, Akil Baddoo, Steward Berroa, and Craig Yoho.