Did Brewers manager just hint that Jackson Chourio might not make Opening Day roster?

Milwaukee Brewers fans have been anticipating the MLB debut of top prospect Jackson Chourio ever since he started blazing through the minor league affiliates two years ago. Barring some sort of catastrophe, that is all but certain to happen at some point here in 2024.

Most fans have probably been expecting that debut to happen right away on Opening Day. After all, when you sign someone to an eight-year deal to be the future of your franchise, one hopes to see a return on those dividends quickly.

That opportunity won't just be handed to Chourio, though. New Brewers manager Pat Murphy has made it clear from the beginning that he will have to earn his Opening Day roster spot just like any other minor leaguer would have to.

Looking at his offensive numbers, it seems like Chourio has done enough to be in the dugout in New York when the regular season kicks off next week. Is that enough to convince Milwaukee's manager, though? That might still be up in the air.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy's comments on Monday may have indicated that Jackson Chourio's Opening Day roster spot is less than secure.

Reporters had the chance to speak to Murphy Monday morning and, as usual, the subject of Chourio came up. In regards to making the Opening Day roster, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the 20-year-old phenom was said to be "in the mix."

Additionally, according to Bally Sports' Dom Cotroneo, Murphy was quoted as saying, "He's gonna have to adjust, it's a credit to the kid that he can do that. There's no comparison... He's got a long way to go, we didn't sign him for just this year, we signed him for the future."

That may not exactly be the vote of confidence that fans were hoping to hear. It also may be surprising to Brewers fans as Chourio hasn't performed poorly at the plate this spring, hitting .286 with three doubles.

There have been opportunities on the defensive end, however, as Chourio, who was originally signed as a shortstop, continues to adjust to being a full-time outfielder. He has taken to it as impressively as one could, further showing just how incredible of a prospect he is. But there have been bumps in the road, which were further evident by the couple miscues he made in Monday's game.

Strong defense, especially up the middle where he plays, has been something the Brewers have stressed for years and will be even more important with the starting rotation taking a small step back in 2024. It may be that Murphy wants to be absolutely confident in both that and Chourio's offense before trotting him out against major league competition for the rest of his career.

Of course this could all just be manager speak or wanting to keep Chourio hungry for that eventual MLB debut. Even so, that Opening Day roster spot Brewers fans were expecting for Chourio might not be a certainty after all.