Brewers' first 2026 Spring Training lineup features four WBC participants

The Milwaukee Brewers open their Spring Training slate with a matchup against the Cleveland Guardians this afternoon. Earlier today, the Brewers revealed that their lineup of pitchers this afternoon will feature only players from the minor leagues, but the same cannot be said for the position players that will participate in the Cactus League opener.

The Brewers just revealed their first lineup of 2026, and it's an exciting blend of everyday players, guys fighting for their spot on the Opening Day roster, and one promising prospect.

It's exciting to see guys like Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio in the first lineup of the year. Generally, some of the everyday guys will wait a few games before making their Cactus League debuts. Additionally, players like Akil Baddoo, Tyler Black, Brandon Lockridge, Reese McGuire, and David Hamilton are all on the border of the Brewers' Opening Day roster, meaning they have a bit more to play for this spring than other more-established players on the team.

Rounding out the lineup is top prospect Luis Lara, who finished the 2025 season as the No. 14-ranked Brewers prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Lara, despite completing a full season in Double-A last year, is still just 21 years old and displays an exciting blend of speed, elite defensive acumen, and solid bat-to-ball skills. He's steadily risen through the minor leagues since officially signing with the Brewers back in 2022, and should impact the big-league roster at some point in the near future.

Brewers include four 2026 World Baseball Classic particpants in first Cactus League lineup

It's worth noting that there might be another factor impacting Pat Murphy's lineup decisions at the beginning of Spring Training this year. There are a number of factors that go into every Cactus League lineup, but among them this year is the fact that several Brewers will be competing in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the beginning of March.

Nine total members of the Brewers' 40-man roster will compete in this year's WBC, but several more prospects will participate as well. A full list of the Brewers participating in this year's WBC can be found at the link below.

Every Milwaukee Brewers connection in the 2026 World Baseball Classic

In WBC years, the Spring Training timeline of the players competing is generally accelerated to ensure that they are ready for highly competitive games by the time March rolls around. As a result, players who otherwise might have had a slower introduction into Cactus League play will often find themselves in the lineup at the beginning of the spring exhibition season.

In today's lineup, Turang (USA), Chourio (Venezuela), Ortiz (Mexico), and Black (Canada) are all participating in the WBC, which certainly factored into them being in the lineup as the Brewers kick off the spring season. In fact, the only Brewers position player participating in the 2026 WBC who is not in the lineup today is catcher William Contreras.

Baseball is back, and while Brewers fans will have to wait one more day to see their favorite team once again, they can listen to the at-bats of Turang, Chourio, Ortiz, and several Opening Day roster hopefuls as the Cactus League officially gets underway.