Brewers add two 2026 trade deadline acquisitions to roster as a result of September expansion

The calendar now reads "September," and that means Major League Baseball teams have the luxury of two additional roster spots. Rosters used to expand to 40 during the final month of the regular season, but ever since the shortened 2020 season, MLB has capped the September roster size at 28, two more than the usual 26-man active rosters.

As a result of this roster expansion, the Milwaukee Brewers are adding to their active roster two players whom they acquired at the 2026 trade deadline. As announced by the team just moments ago, left-handed reliever JoJo Romero, who had been on the injured list since before the Brewers traded for him due to a midseason emergency appendectomy, and catcher Bo Naylor, who had been playing for the Brewers' Triple-A squad, have been added to the active roster.

LHP JoJo Romero, C Bo Naylor added to Brewers' big-league squad as result of September roster expansion

Romero's addition to the Brewers' active roster was highly anticipated. The 29-year-old southpaw, who Milwaukee acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals alongside Dustin May at the trade deadline, was sent on a rehab assignment to High-A on August 25, and after two strong appearances with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, it was clear Romero was ready to return to the big leagues. Romero even traveled with the Brewers to Chicago ahead of their series opener against the Cubs last night, confirming that he would be Milwaukee's pitching staff addition once the rosters expanded in September.

Prior to landing on the injured list on July 17, Romero was a key piece of the Cardinals' bullpen. The left-hander maintained a 3.35 ERA through 44 appearances while boasting an impressive 48.8% ground ball rate. His early-season performance this year wasn't quite as dominant as his 2025 campaign, during which he posted a stellar 2.07 ERA in 65 appearances, but there's encouragement nevertheless that Romero will be a high-leverage weapon in Pat Murphy's bullpen.

Naylor, on the other hand, was less of a guarantee to be added to the Brewers' roster upon the September expansion. The 26-year-old catcher, whom the Brewers acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins at the trade deadline, has been tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A over the last month, but service time considerations left fans wondering if Milwaukee would sacrifice a year of team control with Naylor just to add a third catcher to their squad.

However, after manager Pat Murphy noted that the team would either add a right-handed hitting outfielder -- likely Brandon Lockridge -- or a third catcher to their roster when the calendar flipped to September, the team has now officially elected for the latter. Naylor isn't guaranteed to be up with the big-league squad for the entire month, and he will maintain that additional year of team control if he's up for less than two weeks, but in the meantime, the Brewers are adding a very interesting bat to their bench.

Since joining the Brewers' organization, Naylor has been slightly less aggressive at the plate and is not trying to pull the ball as much -- two key elements of Milwaukee's organizational offensive approach. The results, in Triple-A, have been head-turning. In 14 games with the Nashville Sounds, Naylor has crushed four homers, racked up 17 RBI, and posted a .903 OPS.

Naylor's addition to the roster allows the Brewers to utilize William Contreras and Gary Sánchez, their primary catching tandem, in different roles. The Brewers are now free to pinch-hit Sánchez without having to worry about using the only other catcher on their bench. The addition of a third catcher could also allow the Brewers to give Contreras more days off down the stretch, but that is not something Murphy nor Contreras generally likes to do.

September call-ups are not required to remain on the roster for the entirety of the month, so it's possible Brewers fans do see Lockridge at some point before the end of the regular season. However, for now, Milwaukee is electing to promote two players they acquired in the middle of the season, whose performances could reshape the narrative surrounding the Brewers' front office's performance at the trade deadline.

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