Brewers’ Rookie of the Year candidate expected to miss a few games on paternity list

What a summer it has been for Isaac Collins. Not only is he playing an integral role on the best team in baseball, and winning awards left and right while cementing his name in the NL Rookie of the Year conversations, but he's also about to welcome a child into the world.

As reported by several Milwaukee Brewers insiders, including Jeff Levering on the Fan Duel Sports Network broadcast last night, Collins will likely miss at least the first two games of the Cincinnati Reds series to be with his wife for the birth of their child.

A stay on MLB's paternity list has a maximum length of three days, meaning if Collins leaves the team ahead of their series opener in Cincinnati on Friday night, he will have to return by Monday's doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs, which kickstarts a pivotal five-game series at Wrigley Field for the Crew. The Brewers, who have a 6.5-game lead on the second-best team in MLB, can afford to be without their talented rookie outfielder for a few games, especially considering how important of a life moment it is for Isaac Collins and his wife.

That said, it will be curious to see how the Brewers temporarily replace Collins on the active roster. Given the constraints of calling someone up to replace a player that is placed on the paternity list, only a couple of options are even on the table.

Isaac Collins expected to miss next few games on paternity list, here's who could replace him on the active roster

When Collins does elect to go on the paternity list, he will have to be replaced by someone on the 40-man roster. As such, there are only four position players who are even eligible to replace him on the Brewers' active roster: Jeferson Quero, Oliver Dunn, Tyler Black, and Steward Berroa.

Adding Quero to the roster would make no sense. Not only is he a catcher, and his promotion would temporarily give the Brewers three catchers on the active roster, but Quero also hasn't made his MLB debut yet, and it's likely that when he does, the Brewers will want to keep him in the majors for a long time, not a three-day stint to replace Collins.

Oliver Dunn would also be a strange call-up given the Brewers’ current roster construction. With Anthony Seigler and Andruw Monasterio already available as infield utility options off the bench, Seigler the left-handed option and Mona the right-handed one, finding a place for Dunn to get playing time would be difficult. Additionally, while Dunn hit well in June and July, his August numbers (and season-long numbers for that matter) down in Triple-A are concerning.

That brings us to Tyler Black and Steward Berroa. There's an argument for either to be promoted to the big league roster. The Brewers are currently without a true backup first baseman. Luckily, over the last six weeks, they've had one of, if not the best first basemen in all of MLB in Andrew Vaughn, so they haven't really needed someone to back him up. However, it might be good to give Vaughn a rest for a day, and Black could fill in at the cold corner. Black is also capable of manning a corner outfield position, so he could replace Collins in the outfield for a game or two, but it's more likely that Pat Murphy will go with some combination of Brandon Lockridge, Blake Perkins, and Christian Yelich to fill the void that Collins will leave in the outfield.

Then, there's speedy switch-hitting outfielder Steward Berroa, whom the Brewers acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers back in early July. Berroa has played just seven games for the Nashville Sounds, and while he hasn't hit well, he's shown an ability to get on base, drawing five walks during that span. With elite sprint speed and excellent defensive ability, possessing a similar profile to that of Lockridge, Berroa would fit in well with the Brewers and could be a solid temporary replacement for Collins in the outfield.

Expect the Brewers to make an official announcement on Collins and his replacement ahead of their game against the Reds tomorrow night. Regardless of whether it's Black or Berroa, the Brewers will be only be without their Rookie of the Year candidate for three days at most.