Predicting the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2026 Opening Day roster after their infield shuffle

Caleb Durbin was included in every Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Opening Day roster prediction up to this point, and for a good reason. The soon-to-be 26-year-old infielder coming off of a debut season in which he was named a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year Award appeared destined to reprise his role as the Brewers' everyday third baseman in 2026.

However, the Brewers, always keeping one eye on the future, elected to sell high on Durbin, knowing that what waits around the corner is the most talented group of infield prospects the organization has ever seen. As a result, less than two weeks before the Brewers' first Cactus League game, the projected 2026 Opening Day roster saw a major shake-up.

The Brewers did replace Durbin, signing seven-year MLB veteran Luis Rengifo to a one-year, $3.5 million deal last Friday. Shortly before that, the Crew added some experience to their catching room by reuniting with 2x All-Star Gary Sánchez, who spent the 2024 season in Milwaukee.

With a little more than five weeks before the Brewers kick off the 2026 season at home against the Chicago White Sox, there's still plenty of time for more roster movement. Additionally, injuries are likely to rear their ugly head at some point during Spring Training, which could impact the 26 players that Milwaukee elects to carry on Opening Day. However, as things currently stand, the following group is likely to make up the Brewers' initial 26-man roster when regular season play begins on March 26.

Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Opening Day roster prediction

Infielders (6): Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Luis Rengifo, Brice Turang, Andrew Vaughn

Following the Durbin trade, there was some discussion about Jett Williams, who the Brewers acquired from the New York Mets in the Freddy Peralta blockbuster, potentially making the Opening Day roster. However, given the fact that Williams has just 40 games of experience at the Triple-A level, it feels more likely that Milwaukee will elect to start him with the Nashville Sounds. That said, if Williams is impressing in Nashville at the beginning of the season, don't be surprised if the Brewers give him an early-season promotion to the big leagues similar to how they called up Durbin in mid-April last year.

Therefore, a starting infield of Rengifo, Ortiz, Turang, and Vaughn from third to first feels pretty set in stone. Bauers will serve as Vaughn's platoon partner at first base and will also earn several starts in the outfield. Hamilton, meanwhile, replaces Andruw Monasterio as the team's utility infielder, serving as an upgrade both defensively and on the base paths.

Outfielders (5): Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins, Christian Yelich

While Milwaukee's Opening Day infield group feels relatively set in stone as Spring Training gets underway, the same cannot be said for the outfield group. Two positions, occupied by Chourio and Frelick, are locked up, but it remains to be seen who will join them in the outfield grass. Seeing as Yelich will once again serve as the team's primary DH, it feels as if it's Mitchell's position to lose. The question is: can Mitchell stay healthy enough to be an everyday outfielder after logging just 141 total games through his first three and a half seasons in MLB?

There's also the issue of who plays center field. Both Mitchell and Perkins are better defensive center fielders than Chourio, but having Chourio in center theoretically allows the Brewers to add a more impactful bat in one of the corners -- one who might not be the best defender. Additionally, the long-term plans likely have Chourio in center field, seeing as his tenure in Milwaukee is likely to far outlast Mitchell's and Perkins'. Regardless of how they end up aligning, Chourio, Frelick, Mitchell, and Perkins, with Yelich earning a start in left field every once in a while, feels like the group Milwaukee will carry on Opening Day, assuming everyone stays healthy.

Offseason signing Akil Baddoo and 2025 trade deadline acquisition Brandon Lockridge are the first men up if an injury does occur, and which one earns the call likely depends on early season performance and which Brewers outfielder they are replacing. Both can play all three outfield positions defensively (Lockridge does so a little better), but Baddoo hits from the left side while Lockridge hits from the right.

Catchers (2): William Contreras, Gary Sánchez

The battle for the back-up catcher position was far more interesting before the Brewers handed a major league deal to old friend Gary Sánchez last week. Prior to the signing, top prospect Jeferson Quero and minor league free agent signing Reese McGuire appeared likely to compete for the No. 2 spot behind Contreras in Spring Training, with the former holding the advantage of already being on the 40-man roster and the latter holding the advantage when it comes to big-league experience. However, with Sánchez now under contract and possessing both a 40-man roster spot and extensive big-league experience, in addition to familiarity with the Brewers' coaching staff, the job is his so long as he stays healthy through Spring Training.

Meanwhile, Contreras looks primed to once again make the back-up catcher job in Milwaukee a rather unimportant one. The 2x All-Star started 128 games at catcher last season, and now that his fractured index finger on his glove hand is healed, there's nothing holding him back from once again being behind the dish for a vast majority of games.

Starting pitchers (5): Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Chad Patrick

On Monday evening, I assigned percentage chances to each of the Brewers' starting pitchers currently on their 40-man roster making the Opening Day rotation. The five receiving the best odds of making the Opening Day rotation were Woodruff, Priester, Miz, Harrison, and Patrick. Check out the article, available at ReviewingTheBrew.com and linked below for your convenience, to read my full justifications as to why these five are the most likely to make up the Brewers' Opening Day rotation.

Ranking Brewers starting pitchers in likelihood of making 2026 Opening Day rotation

The list pushes three notable young starters to Triple-A to start the year: Brandon Sproat, Logan Henderson, and Robert Gasser. As evidenced by last season, when the Brewers' pitching depth was tapped out by the first week in April, all three of these arms will certainly play important roles on the 2026 roster, but they have less big-league experience than the five names listed above.

Relief pitchers (8): Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig, Aaron Ashby, Ángel Zerpa Grant Anderson, DL Hall, Rob Zastryzny

The Brewers are likely to roll with a lefty-heavy group of relievers to start the year, with the team carrying just three righties to start the season being a real possibility. On top of that, two of the three right-handers that Milwaukee is likely to include in their Opening Day bullpen, Megill and Uribe, will be reserved for high-leverage situations. However, it's difficult to argue against any of the names listed above, especially when the other options on Milwaukee's 40-man roster are lacking big-league experience.

If the Brewers do elect to force a balance of lefties and righties, Craig Yoho and Easton McGee have a much better shot of making the Opening Day roster. Or, Milwaukee could elect to include one of Sproat or Henderson as a long relief option, but such a scenario feels unlikely seeing as it could impact their development as starting pitchers.