How might the Milwaukee Brewers' 2024 opening-day roster shape up? Here's an early look.

Youth has been the overriding storyline so far in Milwaukee Brewers camp this spring.

While there have been big-name, veteran additions such as Rhys Hoskins and Gary Sánchez, there are many more precocious prospects pushing for consideration for the opening-day roster – a nice problem for the Brewers to have, no question.

So far, a few of the biggest names – third baseman Brock Wilken, right-hander Jacob Misiorowski and catcher Jeferson Quero – have already been reassigned to minor-league camp. There will be others to come as the days tick off and those assured of roster spots see their playing time ramp up.

But outfielder Jackson Chourio, infielders Joey Ortiz and Tyler Black and left-hander DL Hall are likely to be in the conversation right down to the final day as Milwaukee’s front office and coaching staff mull the various roster permutations.

"There's not that many roster decisions to make, to be honest with you,” manager Pat Murphy said. “I'm not going to divulge everything, because maybe the guys in there believe there's more than that. But there's not that many to make.”

But injuries always remain a possibility, as do breakout performances by unexpected players over the last couple weeks that earn them more serious consideration.

Also, the Brewers tend to be active with player acquisition when other teams begin paring their rosters, so one outside acquisition (or more) is almost a guarantee prior to when 26-man rosters need to be set in the hours leading up to opening day on March 28.

All that said, here’s our best guess where things stand entering the fourth week of camp.

Starting rotation (5)

RH Freddy Peralta, LH DL Hall, RH Colin Rea, RH Joe Ross, RH Jakob Junis

Peralta is the new ace of the staff and the opening-day starter. Wade Miley is already playing catch-up after dealing with shoulder weakness early in camp which isn’t considered serious but will probably still land him on the injured list to start.

If that ends up being the case, there are enough days off early in the season the Brewers could conceivably skip his spot and be fine with four starters to open. They also have relievers Bryse Wilson and Taylor Clarke, who are being stretched out and could help in the meantime.

Beyond those two, Hall appears to be a lock. The Brewers love his stuff and his makeup, and he’ll receive every opportunity to make his bones as a starter for the first time in the majors.

After Hall the picture becomes murkier. Rea figures to get another shot after the Brewers brought him back following his yeoman’s work in the wake of Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder injury last season.

Ross, back after missing the two previous seasons due to Tommy John surgery, is once again healthy but appears to be more comfortable in a starting role. Junis, meanwhile, fared well as a swingman for the San Francisco Giants in 2022 and 2023 so it makes sense to pencil him into a similar role with Milwaukee.

Aaron Ashby looks to be almost all the way back from 2023 shoulder surgery. But with his velocity still not all the way back and the left-hander still working on some of the finer points of his game, starting him out at Class AAA Nashville to work out the kinks could make sense.

Left-handed prospect Robert Gasser probably won't make the opening-day cut, but he'll be in the majors before too long in some capacity.

Bullpen (8)

RH Joel Payamps, RH Abner Uribe, RH Elvis Peguero, LH Hoby Milner, RH Bryse Wilson, RH Taylor Clarke, LH Bryan Hudson, RH JB Bukauskas

Devin Williams, Payamps, Uribe, Milner and Wilson are all locks, although Williams has been experiencing a back issue and has been shut down for the time being. Uribe would be a viable replacement if he opens the season on the IL. For our purposes here, we'll assume Williams will miss some time early.

Payamps is coming off a career year as setup man. Might he be due for some regression? If so, the Brewers have options. Milner has been as reliable as it gets the last two years and could have another fellow southpaw to work with in the offseason acquisition Hudson, who’s had a strong camp.

Bukauskas, too, has impressed so far but needs to show he’s past the injury issues that sidelined him for much of last season.

Working in the Brewers’ favor is a pool of relievers with remaining minor-league options, allowing them to continually shuttle fresh arms in from Nashville.

In this group is Peguero, Hudson, Bukauskas, Trevor Megill, Clarke and non-roster invitee Enoli Paredes, who has major-league experience but would need to be added to the 40-man roster.

The Brewers also like right-hander Thyago Vieira, but he is out of options and would need to clear waivers in order to return if he fails to make the 26-man.

Catchers (2)

William Contreras, Gary Sánchez

With the addition of Sánchez the Brewers might have the best 1-2 punch behind the plate in the majors. Contreras is a budding star and Sánchez is a veteran who stretches out the lineup and is also an underrated defender.

Where does this leave Eric Haase? He’s in the midst of a strong camp but it’s tough to see Milwaukee carrying three backstops, so he would be the odd man out. Haase is capable of playing the outfield as well, and that versatility is always helpful.

Quero also merits mention. He isn’t in play for a roster spot now, but he’s impressed so much this spring that seeing him make his major-league debut at some point in 2024 is not at all out of the equation.

Infielders (7)

1B Rhys Hoskins, 2B Brice Turang, SS Willy Adames, 3B Christian Arroyo, INF Owen Miller, INF Joey Ortiz, 1B Jake Bauers

The Brewers addressed one of their two biggest holes by signing Hoskins, who will slot right into the middle of the order and provide punch. His defense is iffy, but the tradeoff for his bat makes sense.

Turang is bigger, stronger and hoping to build off his inconsistent rookie season. Adames is back and provides standout defense in addition to run production. The question now is, can he raise his average and on-base percentage and cut down on the strikeouts?

Third base is the biggest mystery. The Brewers love Arroyo, a veteran who’s in camp as a non-roster invitee. He can also play first and second.

Andruw Monasterio held down the position with a surprising rookie season in 2024 and gained weight and strength in the offseason in the hopes of becoming more of a power threat. He can also play second base and shortstop, the latter of which helps his cause when doing roster math.

But so can Ortiz, and his ceiling appears to be higher than Monasterio's. Milwaukee is eager to see what Ortiz can do, so including him on the opening-day roster makes plenty of sense.

Also, don’t discount Sal Frelick, who the Brewers appear to be seriously considering as an option at the hot corner.

Miller plays third, second and first as well as the outfield, making him the most versatile. Bauers, whose left-handed bat is desirable off the bench, would back up Hoskins at first while also being able to play some outfield and designated hitter.

Arroyo likely has an opt-out date in his contract while Bauers is out of options, which actually works to their advantage. Monasterio, Miller, Ortiz (second base, shortstop, third base), Black (first base and third base, left-handed hitter) and Oliver Dunn (second base, third base, left-handed hitter) all have options remaining, which could work against them.

Regardless of what the first 26-man roster looks like, there’s little question all the names listed on the infield will receive opportunities in the majors at some point with Ortiz and Black both highly regarded prospects and Dunn a late bloomer who’s had a good camp.

Outfielders (4)

LF Christian Yelich, OF Sal Frelick, OF Garrett Mitchell, OF Jackson Chourio

Yelich remains entrenched in left, leaving Frelick, Mitchell and Chourio to rotate through center and right depending upon matchups. Chourio is yet to play right in camp, while Frelick and Mitchell can both play there. Mitchell, like Wiemer, has enacted some changes to his approach at the plate.

This alignment does leave the Brewers susceptible to left-handed pitching but Joey Wiemer doesn’t appear to be fully comfortable yet with his revamped swing, probably leaving him to open in Nashville.

Perkins is a switch-hitter who had his moments last season and figures to contribute again. Chourio, having just turned 20 and playing against major-league competition for the first time, is almost certain to struggle and ultimately see time in Nashville as well.

The Brewers are also high on the aptly named Brewer Hicklen; he could end up being the Perkins of 2024.

Designated hitter (0)

With Contreras, Sánchez, Hoskins, Yelich and Bauers all capable of cycling through the position and providing punch, Milwaukee won’t have a primary DH this season.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Early look at Milwaukee Brewers' potential 2024 MLB opening-day roster