Latest Opening Day roster projection great news for Brewers' spring training standout

With just under a week to go before Brewers Opening Day, we're seeing the final spring roster battles coming to a head. The numerous injuries certainly haven't helped, but as it stands it looks like the Opening Day roster is pretty close to set.

That's great news for infielder Vinny Capra, who's all but been told that he's going to make the team out of camp. Capra has been on fire this spring, hitting .333/.415/.833 with 5 homers and 2 steals in 43 plate appearances. That performance is a big part of why he's in line to start the year in Milwaukee.

Capra won't be with the big league club on performance alone, however. He's seemingly been locked in a roster battle with Andruw Monasterio this spring, but Capra can play shortstop, whereas Monasterio doesn't really have the chops to handle the position defensively.

According to manager Pat Murphy, that defensive skill set is the difference maker. Murphy told reporters recently that “I think you guys have deduced that since Capra can play shortstop he’s our guy".

Brewers infielder Vinny Capra a near lock to make the Opening Day roster

It's a good thing for Capra that he can, because Monasterio hasn't exactly been a slouch at the plate. Monasterio's .393/.514/.643 slash line this spring went a long way towards making the case for him to make the team out of camp. However, we've seen Monasterio struggle at the plate in the majors over the last two years and a couple weeks of strong performance in the spring doesn't exactly change that.

As for Capra, the 28 year-old came to Milwaukee as a waiver claim last winter and hit well enough in Triple-A, though he was ineffective in very limited time with the big league club. He's scraped together 37 total plate appearances at the major league level over the past three years and hasn't been able to take advantage of those opportunities, at least not yet.

Capra's been an effective hitter in the minors though, and he's a good enough shortstop to make you feel comfortable playing him there. Heading into 2025, Capra will be used as a backup infielder, most likely giving Joey Ortiz some extra rest days in the early going.

That situation could certainly change based on the availability of second baseman Brice Turang. With Turang's shoulder still seeming like a potential issue and if he has to miss time, we could see both Capra and Monasterio fighting for additional playing time in Milwaukee.

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