What should the Brewers do with their extra 40-man roster spot?

Yesterday afternoon, the Milwaukee Brewers designated infielder Vinny Capra for assignment. In doing so, Capra was removed from the team's 40-man roster, and because the Brewers replaced him with Andruw Monasterio, who is already on the 40-man roster, the team now has an open spot that they can fill in a number of ways.

For those that are unfamiliar with the 40-man roster, each MLB team has a larger roster that consists of the players on their active 26-man roster, players on short-term injured lists (not the 60-day IL), and several minor leaguers, generally in Triple-A, who are close to or already have experience in the big leagues. In order to be activated on the team's 26-man active roster, a player must first be added to the 40-man roster. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the team must either transfer a player to the 60-day IL or designate them for assignment, as the Brewers did with Capra yesterday.

Now with an open 40-man roster spot, there are several avenues that the Brewers could take to fill it. However, the most likely option might be the least exciting one.

Option 1: Promote a prospect to the 40-man roster

There are several prospects in the Brewers' organization that are worthy of a spot on the team's 40-man roster. Just to be clear, adding them to the 40-man roster does not necessarily mean that they would be promoted to the major league roster, but given the restrictions involved once a player is on a team's 40-man roster, it doesn't make much sense to add a prospect prior to their MLB debut. Therefore, adding any one of the following prospects would imply that they are also being promoted to the active 26-man roster for the time being.

The first option is starting pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski (Miz for short). The 23-year-old right-hander was rumored to be nearing his MLB debut a season ago, but Misiorowski still has yet to crack the big-league roster more than a month into the 2025 season. With his command issues seemingly under control and his velocity as good as it's ever been, Miz is clearly ready for the majors, but an increasingly crowded Brewers starting rotation may delay his debut even longer.

Another minor league candidate for the open 40-man roster spot is first-baseman Ernesto Martinez Jr., who has been in the Brewers farm system since 2017. Martinez has really hit his stride the past two seasons, posting a .831 OPS with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers a season ago and a .828 OPS with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds so far this season. Martinez displays impressive power at the plate and eye-popping athleticism in the field. With Jake Bauers currently seeing a lot of time in the outfield, EMJ could fill in as the team's left-handed platoon partner for Rhys Hoskins.

Finally, minor league infielder Anthony Seigler, who the Brewers signed to a minor league contract this offseason after he spent six years in the New York Yankees farm system, could be an option for the 40-man roster. Seigler, who also has the ability to fill in at catcher, is off to the best start of his career, posting an .822 OPS through his first 30 games with the Sounds. Swapping Capra for another infielder on the 40-man roster would keep the balance of infield and outfield depth that is desirable on a 40-man roster.

Option 2: Make an external addition to fill extra 40-man spot

This would certainly be the most exciting of the three options, but is probably the least likely. With an open 40-man roster spot, there is a small chance that the Brewers could fill it with a surprising trade or free agent signing.

The Brewers' front office is no stranger to the early-season trade. In fact, they already made a major trade this year when they acquired Quinn Priester from the Boston Red Sox during the second week of the season. Last year, they traded for Aaron Civale on July 3rd, nearly a month before the trade deadline. Additionally, both Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez were acquired well before the trade deadline in 2021. While it's rather unlikely that the Brewers will swing a major trade in the next few weeks, it's not entirely out of the question.

If they were to do so, where would they even start? It's clear the team could use some offensive help from the shortstop or third base positions, but it's hard to imagine the front office giving up on Joey Ortiz and Caleb Durbin so quickly, especially after giving up two of the best pitchers in recent Brewers history in order to acquire them. On top of that, most of the infield trade options either look to be out of the Brewers’ price range, or part of a team that still has playoff aspirations in 2025.

Unsurprisingly, the remaining free agent market isn't too inspiring either. Sure, the Brewers could try their hand at Matt Duffy or Whit Merrifield (who still hasn't officially confirmed his retirement), but neither player would be able to jump right back into the big leagues, and by the time they're ready, their 40-man roster spot might already be in jeopardy.

Which brings us to the most likely option.

Option 3: Sit tight and wait for their injured players to return

As previously mentioned, players on the 60-day IL don't count towards the 40-man roster. As a result, a 40-man roster spot needs to be opened when a player previously on the 60-day IL is ready for his return. The Brewers have several players currently on the 60-day IL that are nearing their returns, with the two closest being Blake Perkins and DL Hall.

According to MLB.com, Perkins was cleared to resume baseball activities on April 22nd, after fracturing his shin with a foul ball in late February. Perkins is eligible to return from the 60-day IL at the end of the month, but he will likely require more time than that to build back up and be ready for big league action.

Hall, on the other hand, is already two starts into his rehab assignment. He's covered five total innings for the ACL Brewers, one of the organization's two Rookie Ball affiliates, and allowed zero runs on one hit while striking out eight. According to Todd Rosiak, the Brewers beat reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Hall's next rehab outing will be in Triple-A with the Nashville Sounds.

If the Brewers were to make one of the moves mentioned in options one or two, they would be required to DFA someone or transfer a player to the 60-day IL in order to make room for Hall and Perkins when they return. With no obvious DFA candidate currently on the 40-man roster, the team might be best suited to just wait for the returns of their injured players rather than make an immediate roster move.