Todd Rosiak|Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
PHOENIX – With less than a week to go until they break camp and head north, the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2022 opening-day roster appears to be pretty cut and dried.
"We're still talking through a couple of (spots),but we do feel good with where we are roster-wise," president of baseball operations David Stearns said. "Our regular position-player grouping is solidified and those guys are starting to get more ABs, starting to get longer stints in games and for the most part feel pretty good about it."
Reliever Brad Boxberger and designated hitter-outfielder Andrew McCutchen signed free-agent deals early in camp as the team quickly addressed a couple of key areas of need, and on Wednesday relieverJosé Ureña was brought on board.
With the exception of a quad strain suffered by third baseman Luis Urías, the Brewers are fortunate to have remained in the pink of health with no other injuries of note – no small feat considering the late start to spring training.
The entire rotation is locked in, as is the majority of the bullpen. With the exception of third base, there are clear-cut regulars at every position and a well-defined tier of backups.
“On the position-player side, we have probably not very many decisions to make,” manager Craig Counsell said, echoing Stearns.
Thus, the only mystery would appear to be on the fringes of the bullpen.
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With teams allowed to carry 28 players throughMay 1, the guess is Milwaukee – like many other teams – will err on the side of having an extra relief arm or two with starters not quite being fully stretched out heading into the season's firstweek.
Keeping in mind there’s probably at least a 50-50 chance the Brewers claim someone off waivers or swing some sort of minor trade between now and the April 7 opener at Wrigley Field, here’s our best guess as to which 28 players will suit up that day against the Chicago Cubs.
Starting rotation (5)
RHP Corbin Burnes, RHP Brandon Woodruff, RHP Freddy Peralta, RHP Adrian Houser, LHP Eric Lauer
There’s no mystery here with Burnes, the defending National League Cy Young Award winner, being tabbed by Counsell on Tuesday for his first career opening-day start. Woodruff, who hasn’t looked sharp yet this spring, and Peralta will follow. All three were NL all-stars last season. Houser and Lauer both came into their own in 2021, with Houser tossing the team’s only complete game and Lauer stabilizing the back end of Milwaukee’s six-man rotation. Left-hander Aaron Ashby has been stretched out as a starter this season and will be a candidate to make spot starts when the Brewers need an extra arm. Otherwise, he'll serve as a weapon in relief.
Bullpen (10)
LHP Josh Hader (closer), RHP Devin Williams, RHP Brad Boxberger, LHP Brent Suter, RHP Jake Cousins, LHP Aaron Ashby, RHP Trevor Gott, RHP José Ureña, RHP Jandel Gustave, RHP Luis Perdomo
The back end of the bullpen remains the same as last season, with Hader closing, Williams setting up and Boxberger serving as the seventh-inning bridge (as well as in a variety of other roles). The rest of the group provides an interesting mix of "east-west" and "north-south" pitchers – a Counsell reference to the type of stuff they feature – as well as a few ground-ball specialists inUreña,Gustave andPerdomo.Ureña is out of options but if he isn't deemed healthy and starts the season on the IL,right-handers J.C.Mejía and Miguel Sánchez, and left-hander Hoby Milner will be in the mix. Youngsters Alec Bettinger, Dylan File and Angel Perdomo also are 40-man roster members.
"That's one of the things we seek to accomplish, is to have different looks and to have guys who can do different things. I think we have that to start of the year," Stearns said. "I also think we know from years past that the composition of bullpens change pretty dramatically over the course of a season. It's an area with tremendous volatility.
"We're often seeking to find complements from outside of the organization throughout the course of the season, and I imagine this year will be the same thing."
Catcher (2)
OmarNarváez, Pedro Severino
These spots were locked up before the Brewers even arrived in Arizona, withNarváez coming in as the unquestioned regular after being named an all-star the first time in 2021 and Severino the backup after playing in a career-high 113 games for the Baltimore Orioles. Offensively, Severino is comparable to his predecessor Manny Piña but has a ways to go defensively and getting familiar with the pitching staff. Counsell said earlier in camp that Mario Feliciano and Brett Sullivan – both members of the 40-man – are on about equal footing as the No. 3 backstop in the organization.
Infielders (6)
1B Rowdy Tellez, 2B Kolten Wong, SS Willy Adames, UTIL Jace Peterson, UTIL Mike Brosseau, UTIL Keston Hiura
Milwaukee appears set to let Tellez roll at first base most days. But on the occasions there is a tough left-hander on the mound, Counsell can utilize Hiura, Brosseau or even Hunter Renfroe, who got his first shot of the spring at first base Wednesday. The left-handed-hitting Peterson can also play there. Wong and Adames are cemented at their spots up the middle while Peterson and Brosseau are likely to platoon at third untilUrías is ready to be reinstated from the IL (likely sometime during the first homestand). Hiura has rediscovered his swing, earning him a spot on the opening-day roster. He's experimented a bit in left field this spring, but his clearest path for playing time would seem to be at first base or as an occasional designated hitter. Pablo Reyes has an option remaining and will undoubtedly bounce back and forth between Milwaukee and Class AAA Nashville like he did last season. UntilUrías returns, the Brewers are lacking in depth behind Adames.
Outfielders (4)
LF Christian Yelich, CF Lorenzo Cain, RF Hunter Renfroe, LF-CF-RF Tyrone Taylor
A bounceback season from Yelich is a must if the Brewers want to break through and advance in the postseason for the first time since 2018. A healthy Cain would also be a welcome addition. With that in mind, Counsell is likely to spot the almost-36-year-old rest days each week – a schedule that would allow the budding Taylor at least some semi-regular playing time. Renfroe will be a fixture in right, where his throwing arm will be worth watching. Corey Ray is also on the 40-man, but unless the Brewers are in serious need of a centerfielder, they'll have plenty of coverage inthe corner spots.
Designated hitter(1)
Andrew McCutchen was signed March 16 to serve as the primary DH. But he still has enough wheels at 35 and a strong enough arm to play either corner spot in the outfield, and will see time at both spots. On those days, Counsell will cycle some of his other regulars through the DH spot as a way to get them a day off their feet defensively.
