5 Brewers Who Will Make The 2024 Opening Day Roster But Won't Last The Season

There's still plenty of offseason left to go before we reach Opening Day. A lot can change between now and then, but a lot of Opening Day roster spots can already be assumed to be spoken for. However once the season gets underway, all bets are off.

The Brewers have repeatedly emphasized that the roster fluctuates often and the Opening Day roster is just the roster for one day. A lot of times we see a transaction before the second game. Last year, the Brewers used 59 players. Several players who make the Opening Day roster won't make it to the end of the season.

Last year, that list included Javy Guerra, Matt Bush, Gus Varland, Peter Strzelecki, and Luke Voit.

Coming into 2024, here are five Brewers in position to make the Opening Day roster, but won't last through 162 games.

1. RHP J.B. Bukauskas

Milwaukee's bullpen is almost always changing, especially early on in the season as the Brewers figure out who they can trust and who they can't. Optionable players tend to go up and down but players that are out of minor league options can't go down.

J.B. Bukauskas is one of those players that's vying for a bullpen spot on Opening Day but is out of minor league options. Being out of options gives Bukauskas a better shot of making the roster to start the year, but his spot in the organization is tenuous.

Bukauskas appeared in just five games for Milwaukee last season and he didn't give up a run in six innings of work. He did deal with injuries that limited his opportunities. Heading into 2024, he's not among the group of trusted relievers for manager Pat Murphy.

Given that Bukauskas has shown well in his few opportunities and he's out of options, he has a good chance to make the Opening Day roster, but he won't have much time to prove himself as a trusted option. Any sort of a slip up and Bukauskas could find himself on waivers. Because of that, it's unlikely he makes it to the end of the 2024 season in a Brewers uniform.

2. 1B Jake Bauers

The Brewers surprisingly sent out two prospects to acquire journeyman Jake Bauers, a career .211 hitter with a .663 OPS to help address the first base shortage. Rowdy Tellez was set to be non-tendered and Bauers was brought in to fill his spot for a much cheaper price.

That doesn't mean Bauers represents an upgrade. In 84 games last season, Bauers hit .202/.279/.413 with 12 homers and a 35% K rate and the Brewers are viewing that as a power breakout despite the concerning increase in strikeouts.

The 28 year old journeyman will now be on his fifth team in five MLB seasons in 2024 with the Brewers. He's currently slated to be the everyday option at first base for Milwaukee but that's likely to change as the Brewers are looking to bring in another first baseman.

As a bench platoon bat, a lot will ride on Bauers' home run power keeping him on the team and getting opportunities. His penchant for striking out is a major cause for concern in such limited chances that will likely come in clutch situations.

The odds are incredibly slim that Bauers makes it through the regular season on the big league roster. He hasn't been a productive bat at any point in his big league career, his strikeout rate is getting worse, and the Brewers have several young hitters they'll want to give opportunities to. Even if Bauers does see a lot of playing time because of a lack of other options at first base, it's difficult to envision Bauers being good enough to prevent the Brewers from seeking a first base addition at the trade deadline.

Bauers won't last the season in Milwaukee, and it's unlikely he lasts even until the All Star Break.

4. RHP Joe Ross

The Brewers signed free agent veteran Joe Ross to a major league deal this offseason to help address the pitching depth shortage. Milwaukee hasn't done much else to address that depth problem to this point and Ross currently is slotted as the No. 5 starter in the rotation. However, it'd be a little surprising if Ross is still in the rotation come the end of the season.

Ross hasn't pitched in the big leagues in two years and while the Brewers believe he's good to go, his performance simply may not be up to snuff. At the same time, the Brewers are loaded with pitching prospects in the upper minors that are just about ready to take over spots in the rotation but not ready enough for the Brewers to go into the season with them in the starting five.

Ross' deal is cheap enough that the Brewers can move on without a second thought if he struggles and the kids prove they're ready for an opportunity. Robert Gasser, Carlos F. Rodriguez, and Jacob Misiorowski all could earn big league innings this year in that rotation. They're the future of that group and Milwaukee will want to give them opportunities. Those opportunities won't come at the expense of a Burnes, Peralta, or Miley though, they'll come at the expense of someone like Ross, especially if he struggles.

While Ross could be pushed to a bullpen or swingman role, the roster churn has the potential to cost Ross his spot eventually. If the Brewers add another starting pitcher this offseason, Ross is already on the outside looking in for this rotation and is teetering on the back end of the roster. Without minor league options, any struggle could lead to a DFA so the Brewers can bring up a young arm that still has options.

Ross hasn't had a sub-4.00 ERA since 2016 and if that trend continues, there will come a point in the season where the roster math does not work out in Ross' favor.

5. RHP Taylor Clarke

Every year the Brewers stock up on some more bullpen arms. Some work out and become trusted options while others struggle and see themselves cut from the roster. Taylor Clarke, acquired from the Royals for a pair of prospects, could fall into the latter category.

The 30 year old Clarke has a career 5.03 ERA in five MLB seasons. He doesn't have a truly elite pitch. The best thing he does according to Baseball Savant is his 98th percentile Chase%. He gets hitters to chase, but he's also in the 1st percentile in Barrel% and 6th percentile in groundball percentage. So he gives up a lot of hard contact and it's usually in the air. That's a bad combination.

Even though Clarke has a minor league option remaining, a crowded bullpen picture and a poor record of results makes Clarke a solid bet to not finish the season in the Brewers organization.

Clarke's best season came in 2022 when he had a 4.04 ERA. Of the Brewers bullpen arms from 2023 that are returning this year, a 4.04 ERA would rank as the worst ERA of the entire group. Clarke's best season would be the worst performance of the entire Brewers bullpen.

The Brewers see something in Clarke, which is why they acquired him. They also saw something in Javy Guerra, Matt Bush, and others that didn't end up working out. Clarke wasn't able to find success in his previous five seasons and now he joins an elite group that he simply may not be able to keep up with.