In a recent piece by Jack Stern, he mentioned eight relievers who played substantial roles in the Brewers bullpen last year. Six of them—Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe—have minor-league options left. Nick Mears and Rob Zastryzny do not. This octet will do much of the heavy lifting out of the pen in 2026, but Milwaukee faces a practical constraint: the guys they would most want to swap out to bring up fresh arms at times are the ones who can’t be sent down.

As with last year’s starting rotation, though, there’s helpful depth that could alleviate those problems. Let’s check out some of the guys in the minors who haven’t been celebrated or praised, but should get called up to Milwaukee sometime in 2026—and a few prospects who look like they will move up to the higher levels.

Second-Chance Relievers
Craig Yoho (BF #20 prospect)
Yoho appeared in eight games for Milwaukee last year in three separate stints, and other than one bad outing, he allowed five hits and two runs in 7 2/3 innings, good for an ERA of 2.35. Of course, one can’t just eliminate the worst outing in a small sample, but his handful of strong appearances loosely confirmed the upside scouts saw (and his stats reflected) before he matriculated to the majors. Yoho throws the Triple-A equivalent of the Devin Williams Airbender, but command of it is still a work in progress. His fastball sits in the 92-94 range, and he rounds out the mix with a curve and a change. He’s also working on a cutter. His 31% strikeout rate at Triple A is a portent of good things to come in Milwaukee. Expect to see him at Uecker Field for a good portion of the 2026 season.

Easton McGee
The lanky (6-foot-7) righthander split time between Nashville and Milwaukee last season. Although he didn’t have the success in the majors that Yoho did, he pitched four outings of at least two innings, serving as a key bridge from the middle of the game to the team’s higher-leverage guys. He threw a sinker and a curve about 30% of the time each, with his fastball topping out at 94-95. In his previous eight seasons in the minors, McGee made 100 starts, so in a pinch, he could be a spot starter for the Brewers, but it’s more likely he will be a middle reliever.

Sammy Peralta
Selected off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels in late October, Peralta is a decent-sized (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) soft-tossing southpaw whose fastball sits at just over 89 mph. He throws a slider in the 78 range, along with a change that hits 82. Peralta was an 18th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Tampa, and bounced around in the White Sox and Mariners chains before pitching in the Mexican League to start the 2025 campaign. After a few subpar outings with the Angels in September, he caught on with Milwaukee. He is another candidate for a long relief job in Brew City.

Triple-A and Double-A Relievers

Blake Holub
A 15th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in the 2021 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Holub is another in the long line of towering Brewers pitchers. He has raw talent, but struggles to find the plate on a consistent basis, as his 11.8% walk rate shows. On the other hand, a ‘violent’ delivery helped him strike out batters at a rate of 28.5%. At 27, he is a tad old to be a prospect, so this might be his make-or-break year.

Will Childers
Matthew Wilkie Childers was a 30th-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2019 MLB Draft, but didn’t sign. He attended the University of Georgia and was an All-American his freshman year. But then disaster struck, in the form of two elbow surgeries, which led to his being picked up by Milwaukee after the 2022 MLB Draft as an undrafted free agent. Childers has had an up-and-down career, but his 2025 season (with a 25.5% strikeout rate) shows promise for the future.

Justin Yeager
Yeager was a 33rd-round draft pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Southern Illinois University. After three years in the Atlanta Braves organization, Yeager was a part of the trade in which the Brewers acquired William Contreras in 2022. Yeager has spent the better part of the last three years at Double-A Biloxi, but in 18 appearances and 21 innings at Nashville last year, Yeager allowed only 3.8 hits per nine innings. At age 28 at the start of the 2026 campaign, he is in the same ‘long-in-the-tooth’ prospect boat that Holub is in.

Mark Manfredi
Manfredi is one of the best left-handed options at the middle levels of the minors for the Crew, having pitched at Biloxi all season in 2025. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was drafted in the 9th round of the 2023 draft. During his first season at High-A Wisconsin, he made 12 starts among his 28 appearances. In 2025 at Double A, he was strictly a reliever, making 44 trips to the mound while striking out batters at a 29.8% rate. He needs to work on his control, as he posted a 14.9% walk rate. With a good season, the 25-year-old could possibly see some late-season action in Milwaukee this year.

Tyler Bryant
Bryant joined Yoho, Childers, and Holub on the 2025 Brewers Spring Breakout roster. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Texan was signed as a free agent by the Brewers in June 2024. After five seasons of small college ball and one year in the independent Frontier League, Bryant got his chance with Milwaukee. He showed enough last year in nine games with Carolina and 11 games with Wisconsin to move up to Biloxi in 2025. Bryant struck out batters at a rate of 31.2%, but also walked them at a rate of 12.7%. He was injured in July and missed the last couple months of the season. Bryant will turn 27 in January, so his clock is also rapidly ticking.

Others of Note 

Anthony Flores, LH, Wisconsin

J.D. Thompson, RH, DNP professional ball

Ethan Dorchies, RH, ACL, Carolina

Frank Cairone, LH, DNP professional ball

What’s Next?
The Brewers used 25 pitchers in relief last season, including position players Jake Bauers and Anthony Seigler. The 634 2/3 relief innings accounted for 44% of the team’s innings pitched. Due to the heavy workload that relievers take on these days, a team will need to shuttle pitchers back and forth in the organization on a constant basis. It is also imperative that the relievers who are called up perform well, and the Brewers are hoping for that same result.