Predicting who will be in the Brewers' bullpen to start the 2026 season

With Opening Day right around the corner, the Milwaukee Brewers' initial 26-man roster is starting to take shape. Recent roster moves in the outfield shed significant light on what will be the position player group, but there are still some question marks on the pitching side.

With 13 position players already set, the remaining 13 roster spots will be filled by pitchers. Five of those will make up the starting rotation, leaving eight to round out the bullpen. Here, we take a look at how that group may look on Opening Day.

Predicting who will be in the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen to start the 2026 season

Locks in the bullpen (5): Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Ángel Zerpa, Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby

Barring any injuries, locks for the Brewers' Opening Day bullpen include Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Ángel Zerpa, Grant Anderson, and Aaron Ashby. Either Megill or Uribe will occupy the ninth inning, and Zerpa is a strong early season candidate to bridge the gap to the final frame after his phenomenal showing in the World Baseball Classic. Anderson figures to see a heavy workload as a middle reliever and one of the few low-leverage right-handed options. Ashby, assuming he doesn't find himself in the starting rotation, which isn't entirely out of the question, will once again be the Swiss Army knife, but most of his appearances are likely to be high-leverage, multi-inning outings.

Near locks in the bullpen (2): Jared Koenig and DL Hall

Despite a rocky Spring Training, highlighted by velocity concerns, Jared Koenig remains a near lock to be in Milwaukee's bullpen to begin the 2026 season. His track record of effectiveness is the biggest thing going his way, and his performance has picked up in recent Cactus League outings. DL Hall is also expected to be a part of the Brewers' Opening Day bullpen, especially after a strong spring season, but his career is at something of a crossroads. He's battled injuries since arriving in Milwaukee in the Corbin Burnes blockbuster ahead of the 2023 season, which has forced him into a relief role. When healthy, however, Hall showed that he can be an effective multi-inning arm in the Brewers' bullpen.

Bullpen bubble watch

With one bullpen spot still open, and Craig Yoho and Rob Zastryzny sidelined by injury, the final job is likely to go to a right-hander seeing as the rest of the bullpen is made up of five lefties and just three righties. Therefore, two names appear to be the leading candidates for the final spot: Easton McGee and non-roster invitee Jacob Waguespack, who is enjoying an incredibly spring season after signing with the Brewers in late January.

With a spot on the 40-man roster, McGee is certainly the favorite of the two -- adding Waguespack to the Opening Day roster would involve the Brewers designating a player for assignment or trading them away in the next six days. With few DFA candidates on the roster, McGee looks primed to grab the final bullpen spot, but Waguespack is almost certain to factor into the mix at some point in 2026.

Final prediction: The 8 Brewers who will start the 2026 season in the bullpen

Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Ángel Zerpa, Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and Easton McGee