These 3 Brewers could be the next to lose their 40-man roster spots

The constant roster churn is a part of every MLB season and has increased over the years with teams cycling through more and more players. The Milwaukee Brewers provided yet another example of that earlier this week.

Right-handed reliever Thyago Vieira was designated for assignment on Monday as the Brewers made multiple rooms to switch up the roster. The move wasn't a major surprise as Vieira had compiled a 5.64 ERA in 22.1 innings, giving up earned runs in nine of 16 appearances.

The Brewers have one space open on their 40-man roster after that move but at some point the roster will be full again and Milwaukee will have to consider who will be next to remove from it to support future transactions. Right now, there are three players who most see their spots in jeopardy.

Here are three Brewers players who could be next to lose their 40-man roster spots.

1. RHP Mitch White

It's honestly a little surprising that recent Brewers addition Mitch White didn't receive a DFA before Vieira did. Milwaukee has had almost two months to see what they had in the latter while they've only just gotten to do so with the former.

White was acquired just 13 days ago by the Brewers after being DFA'd by the San Francisco Giants. This marks the third team that the reliever has played for just in 2024 after putting up a 5.40 ERA in 10 innings with the Blue Jays to start the season and a 11.81 ERA in 5.1 innings with the Giants after that.

Things haven't gone much better for White as a member of the Brewers. Though he's only pitched in four games, White has given up five earned runs in six innings as well as an unearned run in Monday's game against the Marlins in extra innings which allowed Miami to come up victorious. He might get a couple more opportunities, but unless things drastically improve his time with the Crew could be brief.

2. INF Owen Miller

Last year, one of the best stories of the season for the Brewers was when native Wisconsinite Owen Miller made the team's Opening Day roster. But not only did he accomplish that, he was one of the Crew's better hitters at the beginning of the season.

Miller eventually cooled down, finishing the season with a .261 batting average and .674 OPS. He began 2024 in the minors but has gotten some playing time since. So far the results haven't been pretty as he is batting .160 with a .360 OPS in a small sample size of 25 at bats.

Miller is currently on the roster mostly because the Brewers need another infielder to platoon with Jake Bauers at first while Rhys Hoskins is on the IL (Tyler Black, another first base option, is left-handed like Bauers). That will keep his job safe for now, as will his versatility, but if he continues to look overmatched at the plate in the majors, his roster spot could become expendable.

3. OF Chris Roller

If you thought Miller hasn't gotten much of a chance to acquit himself in the major leagues this year, the same is extra true for Brewers outfielder Chris Roller. The rookie has just one at bat to his name so far in 2024, which resulted in a strikeout.

Milwaukee traded for Roller late last August and then added him to the 40-man roster after the 2023 season ended. He finished the season on a tear, batting .364 with a 1.111 OPS in 16 games at Triple-A Nashville but has started slower this season at the same level, batting .230 with a .582 OPS in 15 games, though he also missed time due to injury.

Roller is one of seven outfielders being carried on the Brewers 40-man roster and one of them, Garrett Mitchell, is soon to return. He is on the 60-day IL so the question will be whether Milwaukee still wants that many outfielders upon his return. The Brewers could use some improved bench options on the infield, meaning that one at bat could end up being Roller's only one as a member of the Crew.

It's likely that the Brewers won't have to make a 40-man decision for a while, but when they do, one of these players are most likely to be looking for a new team.