Milwaukee Brewers: Will outfielder Blake Perkins make the 2024 Opening Day roster?

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins was a pleasant surprise last year. The switch hitter was one of Matt Arnold's first additions in November of 2022. Arnold handed him a big league contract despite his highest level of competition faced beforehand being just 30 games at the Triple-A level.

Last season Perkins began the year in Triple-A Nashville. He ended up making his MLB Debut on April 19 and had a few different stints with the Brewers as the year went along. After all was said and done he established himself as an elite defender and he held his own at the plate to the tune of an 88 wRC+.

As the MLB season progressed so did Perkins' confidence. The 27-year-old had a .894 OPS across his last 16 games with the team that included a walk-off single in August against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He did all of this while being a trusted defensive option at any outfield position.

Will Blake Perkins make the Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day roster in 2024?

Entering the 2024 season Perkins is one of several solid outfielders in the organization. With that being said, the Brewers recent decision to option Joey Wiemer has left Perkins as one of five outfielders remaining in big league camp. The others are Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Jackson Chourio.

Out of these five outfielders, Perkins is the only one not guaranteed to make the Opening Day Roster. Teams typically don't carry five outfielders, but it is highly believed that Sal Frelick will be the primary option at third base against right-handed hitters. This then opens the door for Perkins to be the team's backup outfielder when Frelick plays on the dirt.

One thing working against him is that he has flexibility in minor league options whereas players like Eric Haase, Joe Ross, and Thyago Vieira do not. Players like that often win out some of the final Opening Day slots for teams.

There are only about five days left at most to see if Blake Perkins makes the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career. One final solid Cactus League push could possibly be what he needs to seal the deal.