Shane Drohan’s revealed postseason roster fate offers more clarity to Brewers’ playoff pitching plans

The Milwaukee Brewers will begin their 2026 postseason run one week from today. After securing a first-round bye for the second consecutive year, the Brewers have punched their ticket directly to the National League Division Series, which will begin on Saturday, October 3 at American Family Field (game time TBD).

Before their postseason run begins, however, the Brewers have some important decisions to make in regard to the 26 players they will carry on their NLDS roster. While a majority of the 26-man squad appears set in stone, there are still some question marks on the margins of the postseason roster that remain unanswered as the final weekend of the regular season begins.

That said, one potential roster question was answered emphatically by manager Pat Murphy earlier this week. As reported by MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy on X, rookie southpaw Shane Drohan will be a part of the NLDS roster.

The likelihood of Drohan making the postseason roster was always high, but the confirmation of his playoff roster fate is nevertheless an important report from Murphy. Drohan, who the Brewers acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin deal back in February, has quietly been one of the key pieces of the Brewers' pitching staff this year. He's bounced back and forth between the bullpen and the starting rotation, racked up the second-most innings pitched on the Brewers this year, and has a solid 4.24 ERA. In the bullpen, where Drohan is expected to pitch in October, the rookie left-hander has a 1.55 ERA in 29 innings with a 25.0% strikeout rate and a .202 opponent batting average.

Drohan undoubtedly deserved a spot on the postseason roster, and now that it's confirmed that he will in fact pitch for the Brewers in the NLDS, Milwaukee's playoff pitching staff has gained even more clarity. Certainly the biggest question that the Brewers still face as they construct their 26-man NLDS roster is whether or not they can trust struggling southpaw Kyle Harrison in Ocobter. However, with Drohan's spot on the postseason roster confirmed, it's possible Milwaukee has already revealed the answer to that question.

Brewers' NLDS pitching staff all but finalized with Shane Drohan's confirmed inclusion

The assumption is that the Brewers will carry 12 pitchers for their best-of-five NLDS matchup. Teams can include a maximum of 13 pitchers on a postseason roster, but most elect to carry just 12 for best-of-three and best-of-five series before adding another arm for the best-of-seven series. Now that Drohan's spot is confirmed, the Brewers essentially have 12 "locks" for their NLDS pitching staff:

Brewers' projected NLDS pitching staff:

1. RHP Jacob Misiorowski
2. RHP Logan Henderson
3. RHP Dustin May
4. LHP Robert Gasser
5. RHP Trevor Megill
6. RHP Abner Uribe
7. LHP Aaron Ashby
8. RHP Chad Patrick
9. LHP DL Hall
10. RHP Antonio Senzatela
11. LHP JoJo Romero
12. LHP Shane Drohan

It would be rather surprising to see any of those 12 arms left off of the postseason roster, though there is certainly an argument that the Brewers' matchup could lead to a surprise or two. For example, a season ago, many Brewers fans were surprised to see Gasser on the NLCS roster, but he matched up well with the Los Angeles Dodgers' left-handed hitters, which is why the team elected to include him.

Therefore, it's certainly possible that Harrison, who needs to turn in an encouraging performance during one of these final two games to be considered, or even Grant Anderson, who can be a nightmare matchup for certain right-handed hitters, sneaks onto NLDS roster. However, such a scenario feels unlikely given the presence of the 12 names listed above. Circumstances can change and surprises can arise, but at this point in time, the pitching staff above is the most likely group that the Brewers will carry in the NLDS.

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