The relief pitcher who could sneak his way onto the Brewers' 2026 Opening Day roster

Spring Training results certainly don't matter too much, but a three-up, three-down inning, in which you strike out 3x All-Star Fernando Tatis Jr. and established big-leaguer Ramón Laureano is not something to ignore. That was the performance that 28-year-old Easton McGee put together down in Arizona today, as he kicked off the Milwaukee Brewers' afternoon tilt with the San Diego Padres.

Not only did McGee make quick work of the top of the Padres' lineup, which included big-leaguer Will Wagner as well, but he required just seven pitches to do so. McGee started the game with a three-pitch strikeout of Laureano, which included a pitch timer violation and a foul ball, and ended with an elevated four-seamer that the Padres' outfielder swung beneath. The towering Brewers' right-hander then got Wagner to roll over on a first-pitch curveball at the bottom of the zone for the second out of the inning. A three-pitch strikeout of Tatis, that ended with the Padres' All-Star chasing a sweeper below the zone, finished out McGee's excellent 2026 Cactus League debut.

The performance was the perfect start for McGee, who is on the cusp of the Brewers' Opening Day roster and will use the spring exhibition season as an opportunity to prove that he belongs with the big-league club. While that might seem like a stretch for the 28-year-old right-hander who has just 24.1 innings of major league experience to his name, there are a couple of things working in McGee's favor.

With a strong Spring Training, Easton McGee has a chance to crack the Brewers' 2026 Opening Day roster

While a strong performance in Spring Training this year certainly wouldn't hurt McGee's chances of making the Brewers' 2026 Opening Day roster, it's not the only reason why the former fourth-round pick has a good shot at cracking the first 26-man roster of the year.

For one, McGee remained on the Brewers' 40-man roster throughout the 2025 season while players like Bryan Hudson and Elvis Peguero, each of whom had more success in a Brewers' uniform than McGee, were designated for assignment. Then, throughout the winter, as the Brewers made several notable trades, McGee maintained his spot on the 40-man, aided by the fact that Milwaukee didn't have to DFA anyone this offseason. Clearly, if the Brewers have committed to McGee time and time again while sending other relievers out of the door, they see something in his profile that they really like.

Speaking of that profile, there's a lot to work with in McGee's deep repertoire of offerings. He throws three fastball shapes -- a four-seam, cutter, and sinker -- and two breaking balls -- a curveball and a sweeper. Brewer Fanatic's Jack Stern noted in an excellent breakdown of McGee's potential earlier this offseason the irregularity of the right-hander's pitch mix. Stern pointed out that despite having a low 25-degree arm angle, which would lead one to believe that McGee is a sinker-slider pitcher, the 6'7" righty actually relied on his four-seam-curveball combination far more frequently in the big leagues in 2025. Be sure to check out Jack's full breakdown which is available over on Brewerfantic.com and linked below for your convenience.

Easton McGee Has Ingredients for Brewers' Next Under-the-Radar Bullpen Breakout

While McGee's track record in the big leagues is limited, he's largely found success when given an opportunity. His elevated ERA in 2025 was largely due to one bad outing against the Washington Nationals in early August. During the small sample size of 14.2 big-league innings last year, McGee produced an impressive 35.1% chase rate and a solid 47.7% ground-ball rate. The combination of a pitcher who induces a ton of out-of-the-zone swings and gets opposing hitters to ground out when they do make contact is certainly an intriguing profile.

Additionally, the fact that McGee is right-handed might be working in his favor as he hopes to crack the Opening Day roster. The Brewers' bullpen projects to be very lefty-heavy, with Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Grant Anderson serving as the only right-handed pitchers who feel like "locks" to make the Opening Day roster. Seeing as both Megill and Uribe will likely be reserved for high-leverage situations, the Brewers could certainly benefit from having another right-hander in their 'pen. Maybe McGee will emerge as that guy.