3 Brewers Players Who Could Be Next to Go from the 40-Man Roster

With about two months down in the 2023-24 MLB offseason, it is probably safe to say that the Milwaukee Brewers still have some work ahead of them when it comes to building the roster for next season.

The Brewers pretty much have three main offseason moves so far to speak of: bringing back starting pitcher Wade Miley, signing stud prospect Jackson Chourio to an unprecedented extension, and trading away long time Crew members Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor to the Mets for a pitcher who won't see the majors for a while.

Other moves have been made along the way, but Milwaukee can still use upgrades at a number of positions, most notably first and third base, designated hitter, and starting pitcher. With the 40-man roster currently at 38, there's a good chance that at some point, more room will need to be made to accommodate new players.

Here are three players who could be next to go from the Milwaukee Brewers' 40-man roster.

1. OF Chris Roller

One of the more under-the-radar moves that the Brewers made at the beginning of the offseason was when they selected the contract of outfielder Chris Roller from the minors. Many fans hadn't even familiarized themselves with him yet since he had only been brought into the organization on August 31st when Milwaukee acquired him from the Guardians for cash.

Roller performed quite well to end the season with the Triple-A Sounds, batting .364 with a 1.111 OPS and slugging three doubles, a triple, and three homers in 16 games. That, combined with his ability to play all over the outfield, caused the Brewers to opt to add him to the 40-man roster instead of letting him hit free agency.

That move might have just delayed the inevitable, though, as the Brewers have a ton of depth at the outfield position with six players in front of Roller on the 40-man roster. If Milwaukee brings in some offense and roster space is needed, Roller could be see his quick tenure with the team end.

2. 2B Jahmai Jones

Second baseman Jahmai Jones, who was signed as a free agent last July, may have only gotten 11 plate apperances with the Brewers in 2023. However, his very first one led to one of the more memorable moments of the 2023 season.

In his Milwaukee debut, Jones hit a first pitch, pinch hit, two-out double to deep center, driving in three runs and turning a 6-3 deficit into a tie game in the bottom of the seventh inning of a game against the rival Cubs. The Brewers would go on to win the game 8-6.

Jones would spend most of the rest of the season at Triple-A, batting .232 with a .744 in 41 games with the Sounds. Though he provides depth at a couple different positions, he is already out of minor league options and is an easy cut if the Brewers don't expect to carry him on the MLB roster for all of 2024.

3. RP Clayton Andrews

Last year's MLB debut was the end of a long, difficult journey for reliever Clayton Andrews. After missing nearly all of both his 2021 and 2022 seasons due to injury, his impressive start to 2023 for Triple-A Nashville finally earned him a call up to the bigs.

Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as planned as Andrews gave up 10 earned runs in just 3.1 innings pitched. On top of that, he gave up nearly as many home runs (three) as he struck out batters (four).

Andrews is still just 26 and might still have plenty of career ahead of him. He is at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to pitchers on the 40-man roster, though, and those are often the first guys to go when the Brewers are in need of roster space.

Technically the Brewers can still make a couple moves without having to jettison anyone from the 40-man roster. For Milwaukee to compete like they should in 2024, they might need to get to the point where dropping someone is necessary.