Team insider reveals two pitchers who will be in Brewers' 2026 Opening Day rotation

In recent days, the conversation regarding the Milwaukee Brewers' Opening Day roster has focused on the starting rotation. The Brewers are intentionally slow-playing the build-up of their starting pitchers, with their extended 2025 season in the back of their minds. However, in two cases, that slow build-up is looking like it's going to impact the Opening Day roster.

Though nothing is set in stone yet, recent reports of Quinn Priester's lingering wrist injury and the fact that he has yet to throw in a Cactus League game point to him not being ready for the Opening Day rotation. Additionally, Brandon Woodruff's Opening Day status is up in the air. The Brewers and Woodruff have both noted that the priority for the 2026 season is to be healthy at the end of the year, and if that means sacrificing a few weeks at the beginning of the season to ensure he's 100% healthy, that's a tradeoff they are willing to take.

While it's smart for the Brewers to be careful with their starting pitchers, especially after last year when they endured numerous injuries to their starting staff in the first two weeks of the season, it does create some questions as to who the five arms making up the Opening Day rotation will be.

Just moments ago, Brewers insider Adam McCalvy shed some light on the situation, posting the following quote from his conversation with manager Pat Murphy on the social media platform X.

Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick will officially be a part of the Milwaukee Brewers' 2026 Opening Day rotation

Jacob Misiorowski's inclusion on the Opening Day roster shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. While there were certainly some concerns with the young flame-thrower's effectiveness at the end of the 2025 regular season, Miz put them to bed with his exceptional performance in the postseason. Now, it appears a possibility that Miz will be the Brewers' Opening Day starter, assuming Woodruff and Priester aren't ready to go on March 26, but that won't be confirmed for quite some time.

Patrick, meanwhile, also appeared likely to make the 2026 Opening Day rotation after his breakout rookie season in 2025. The right-hander made 23 starts for the Brew Crew last year and posted a 3.53 ERA. He filled in admirably in the Brewers' starting rotation at the beginning of the season, when injuries were plaguing Milwaukee's starting staff.

The one question mark in regard to Patrick's Opening Day status was whether he would start the year in the rotation or the bullpen. After the injured Brewers starters returned to the roster last year, and the rotation picture became rather crowded, Patrick was asked to assume a role in Milwaukee's 'pen, which he did so effectively. Patrick saw his velocity tick up a few notches in the bullpen, and his new breaking ball was key in keeping hitters off-balance.

With Misiorowski and Patrick locked into roles in the Opening Day rotation, and Priester and Woodruff looking like they won't be ready by the end of the month, the question now becomes: who will fill out the rest of the starting staff? Newcomers Brandon Sproat, Kyle Harrison, and Shane Drohan are certainly options for Murphy, as are Logan Henderson and Robert Gasser, who both started games for the Brewers in 2025.