Predicting the Milwaukee Brewers' 26-man wild-card series roster
As the Milwaukee Brewers assemble at American Family Field on Monday afternoon for a team workout prior to their best-of-three wild-card series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the key decision-makers will surely be putting their heads together to decide on who to include and who to leave off the playoff roster.
While the roster won't be announced publicly until Tuesday morning, here is how beat writers Todd Rosiak and Curt Hogg see the 26-man roster picture shaping up.
Starting pitchers (3)
Corbin Burnes: Milwaukee’s Game 1 starter for the second straight postseason appearance, Burnes took the ball 32 times this year and struck out 200 batters while recording an ERA of 3.39
Wade Miley: With Brandon Woodruff's injury, Miley slots in as the Brewers' No. 3 starter. He has a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts.
Freddy Peralta: The Brewers leader in strikeouts with 210 had lined up to pitch Game 3 if the series goes the distance.
Relief pitchers (9)
Devin Williams: The bona fide elite closer will be making his first postseason appearance with the Brewers. Since 2020, no pitcher in baseball has a lower ERA than Williams (minimum 100 innings).
Joel Payamps: The right-hander has struggled a bit down the stretch, allowing at least one base runner in 18 straight outings at one point, but has been a reliable setup man for Williams most of the year.
Hoby Milner: Milner has turned into a reliable rubber arm southpaw for manager Craig Counsell. He’s having a career year in 2023, sporting a 1.85 ERA across team-high 72 appearances.
Trevor Megill: Acquired by the Brewers from the Twins in late April in exchange for minor-league pitcher Taylor Floyd, Megill has been excellent since being recalled from Class AAA in mid-August.
Abner Uribe: The flamethrowing right-hander has dazzled since making his MLB debut July 8, allowing five earned runs in 31 games while regularly eclipsing 100 mph with his fastball.
Elvis Peguero: Peguero is on the 15-day injured list with swelling in his right elbow but is expected to return for the playoffs. He has a 3.38 ERA in 59 games after being acquired in the Hunter Renfroe trade from the Angels in the off-season.
Bryse Wilson: The jack of all trades in the Brewers bullpen, Wilson can provide length if needed in a playoff series or come in during a tight spot in the middle innings.
Colin Rea: With Brandon Woodruff unavailable for the series and possibly the entire postseason with a shoulder injury, Rea takes his spot on the roster. Rea had a 4.55 ERA and was third on the team in innings pitched.
Adrian Houser: Houser threw 72 pitches on Sunday but with Woodruff's injury news, the Brewers may be needing to carry one more pitcher than they were previously. Houser could theoretically provide the Brewers with some length if need be later in the week.
Catchers (2)
William Contreras: Acquired in a three-team deal in the off-season, Contreras has been the Brewers’ most valuable player. He’s played in 140 games and batted .290/.367/.459 while playing excellent defense behind the plate.
Victor Caratini: Has served as a solid backup for the Brewers, as well as Corbin Burnes’ personal catcher much of the year. But it remains to be seen if he will catch Burnes in Game 1; Contreras caught him in his last start of the season.
Infielders (6)
Carlos Santana: The veteran has provided a much-needed upgrade at first base since being acquired at the trade deadline, bopping 10 homers in 50 games.
Rowdy Tellez: Tellez will serve as a pinch-hitter with power potential, though he has just six extra-base hits in his last 53 games.
Brice Turang: The rookie has continued to play mostly every day thanks to his stellar defense despite light numbers at the plate. He may platoon with Andruw Monasterio at second base in the playoffs.
Andruw Monasterio: Monasterio, a career minor-leaguer, made his MLB debut on May 28 and eventually became the Brewers everyday third baseman.
Willy Adames: The starting shortstop has surged at the plate late in the year. He had a .872 OPS over his final 38 games entering Sunday’s regular-season finale.
Josh Donaldson: Milwaukee signed the 2015 American Lague MVP to a minor-league deal at the end of August after the Yankees released him. He’s provided some of the pop the Brewers had hoped to get, socking three homers and four doubles in 15 games.
Outfielders (6)
Christian Yelich: The Brewers leftfielder recorded his best season since a runner-up MVP finish in 2019, posting a .816 OPS with 19 home runs and 28 stolen bases.
Mark Canha: Canha has been Milwaukee’s best hitter since being acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline. He could see time at designated hitter in the postseason.
Sal Frelick: Frelick, one of the Brewers' top prospects coming into the year, got off to a torrid start but has cooled in September with an OPS of just .608 in the final month of the year.
Tyrone Taylor: After a treacherous start to season with both performance and injuries, Taylor has been red-hot since the end of July. He has a .888 OPS with nine homers and 14 doubles across 47 games.
Garrett Mitchell: The Brewers have said that Mitchell likely won’t have a significant role on a playoff roster, but at this point it seems like it would still be wise to include him because of his speed and defense.
Blake Perkins: Because of Perkins’ elite speed and defense, Milwaukee will almost certainly have him on the roster.
Jesse Winker off the roster
The Brewers will have a handful of options for thier final spot. It could go to Abraham Toro for his bat, Owen Miller for his speed and versatility, Joey Wiemer for his defense and ability to hit lefties, or Winker.
We initially went with Winker for the final spot because of his ability to come off the bench and provide a quality at-bat thanks to his plate discipline.
But in light of the Woodruff news, we had to remove one position player in the event Milwaukee carries 12 pitchers rather than the 11 we previously had pegged them for.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers' 26-man roster predicted for wild-card series vs. Diamondbacks
