3 Brewers players who won't survive on roster past MLB trade deadline

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Six weeks from the MLB trade deadline, the Brewers are sitting in a good spot. They have a comfortable lead in the NL Central, they have a deep farm system, and have the ability to acquire any player they want to help down the stretch.

Any sort of deadline addition, however, will mean that someone who is currently on the roster will have to be removed from it in order to make room. Some of these players may even be replaced before the trade acquisitions come in.

The Brewers do a lot of moving and shaking with their roster throughout the course of the season and these three players are likely find themselves shuffled out of the roster picture before the deadline is over.

1. RHP Elieser Hernandez

Elieser Hernandez was a recent pickup from the open market. He's currently the last man in the Brewers bullpen and he is out of minor league options. The Brewers needed a fresh arm and Hernandez was available and is a solid, experienced option they can turn to, but his job security is quite minimal.

While Hernandez struggled to an 8.38 ERA with the Dodgers this season, he's been better since signing with Milwaukee. In his first two outings with the Brewers, Hernandez has yet to give up a run in 4.2 IP, scattering just three hits and a walk.

Still, all it would take is a bad outing or two for Hernandez to find himself back on waivers. The Brewers bullpen currently has a lot of arms that Pat Murphy trusts in any situation. Hernandez isn't quite one of them yet. Milwaukee doesn't have much invested in Hernandez either.

When a pitcher gets added, and the Brewers will add at least one during the deadline, Hernandez is easily the most expendable arm on the pitching staff. Hernandez won't make it to August 1st on this active roster and it wouldn't be totally surprising if he didn't make it to July 1st either.

2. 1B Jake Bauers

Jake Bauers has been struggling at the plate over the last few weeks. The short hot stretch that he was on in early May faded and now he's completely cooled off. Bauers is 8-for-his-last-52 with 20 strikeouts in that span and zero homers.

The Brewers have a lack of proven better options though for his role. Owen Miller hasn't been any better in his MLB stints this year and Andruw Monasterio has very limited first base experience. Tyler Black is a big time prospect who got some run early this season, but would the Brewers want to call him up just to take Bauers' limited ABs?

They may be forced to at some point as Bauers continues to struggle. Rhys Hoskins has been slumping a little as well since his return from a hamstring injury, but his roster spot is secure and he'll be playing just about every single day.

On the season, Bauers is hitting .204 with a .667 OPS with five homers and 58 strikeouts.

When the trade deadline comes around, the Brewers could stand to upgrade their bench. Bringing in someone who can back up first base for Hoskins while also providing more production with the bat should be a priority. Whether that's a turn to Black or acquiring somebody else, Bauers is unlikely to survive past the deadline unless he turns things around at the plate soon.

3. RHP Tobias Myers

The Brewers never planned on Tobias Myers being a big part of their starting rotation mix when the season began. After a myriad of early season injuries, the Brewers called upon the 25 year old to help solidify the group. Overall, he's really done a good job.

Even though Myers has been optioned down and recalled several times, he's made eight starts and has a 3.76 ERA. His last two starts have been exceptional, allowing just one earned run over 14 IP.

Myers' inclusion on this list is less about his performance and more about the Brewers likely bringing in at least one starting pitcher at the trade deadline. Adding an experienced arm to the mix means someone is going to be moved out of the rotation to make room. Of the five current starters, Freddy Peralta, Colin Rea, and Bryse Wilson aren't going to be going anywhere. The two rookies at the back end are Myers and Carlos Rodriguez.

Between Myers and Rodriguez, Rodriguez seems more likely to keep his roster spot because of his high prospect status and high ceiling. As of this article's publication, Rodriguez has just one start under his belt though. As the weeks go on leading up to the trade deadline, performance will determine who gets pushed out of the rotation to make room for whoever is brought in.

Health is also going to play a factor. The Brewers have a number of starting pitchers on the IL who could return from the IL before the deadline happens. Once a player like DL Hall or Jakob Junis or Joe Ross return, Myers also could see his roster spot get chopped. Either way, when August 1st rolls around, right now it's difficult to envision Myers being in this rotation at that time.

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1. RHP Elieser Hernandez

2. 1B Jake Bauers

3. RHP Tobias Myers

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