Everyone who is expected to be part of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Opening Day roster has now played in at least one game. While there are minimal injury concerns at the moment, now the work to get everyone sharp is truly underway.
The Brewers are without several camp regulars due to the World Baseball Classic. The absences of Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Brice Turang, Abner Uribe, Angel Zerpa, Rob Zastryzny, Tyler Black, and Carlos Rodriguez open opportunities for others.
As a reminder: Don’t take anything too seriously in this recap. It is only spring training, where exhibition games often devolve into minor-league scrimmages. The information below is meant as basic news, not necessarily hardcore analysis.
The Crew dropped to 5-7 in Cactus League play. After having Monday off, the Brewers lost to the rival Chicago Cubs 4-1 on Tuesday, lost to Great Britain 7-3 on Wednesday in a WBC exhibition, and beat the Colorado Rockies 10-8 on Thursday.
Who’s Hot? 🔥
The left-hander, acquired this spring in the six-player Caleb Durbin deal, made his exhibition debut against Great Britain and displayed a new weapon. Harrison’s kick change was a rousing success, helping him get eight swings and misses during his three scoreless innings. Harrison allowed two hits and a walk while striking out a pair. Four of those eight whiffs came on his changeup, which he threw 10 times among his 40 pitches. Harrison only used three pitches, his four-seamer, changeup, and slurve, after also using a cutter and sinker last year. Perhaps those pitches come out later. But the changeup, revised following the trade, is certainly something that bodes well.
After a late start to game action and a 0-for-4 beginning, the potential Opening Day center fielder showed off the tools that have the Crew expecting big things from him if he can stay healthy. Mitchell went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, including a 462-foot homer on the first pitch of the game vs. Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen, then a ringing opposite-field double with the bases loaded off right-hander Davison Palmer, who finished last season at Double-A. Mitchell has been the clear-cut top center fielder in the organization for the past few years, but he has played just 113 games over the last three seasons due to a variety of injuries.
After missing a few days, Bauers was back in the lineup against the Rockies and went 2-for-3 with his first spring homer, a two-run shot off Palmer. Bauers, who was the starting designated hitter, also stole a base and was hit by a pitch as he raised his spring average to a robust .545 (6-for-11). He is expected to see some time in left field soon as he prepares for whatever role the Brewers need him for once Opening Day rolls around. The left-handed hitter is the backup first baseman to Andrew Vaughn and was a valuable bat down the stretch and in the postseason last year.
Who’s Not? 🧊
The reliable left-handed reliever coughed up a whopping five runs in one-third of an inning against Great Britain in his spring debut. But he came out of the appearance unconcerned about the metrics in his outing. Koenig came on to start the fifth inning against Great Britain, walking two and allowing four hits, including a two-run homer to Washington Nationals catcher Harry Ford. Only 12 of his 22 pitches were strikes, a very un-Koenig-like outing. But remember, it was his first game action this spring.
The left-hander, bidding for a spot in the starting rotation, gave up three runs on three hits in 2⅔ innings vs. the Rockies. It was his second start this spring. While not giving up much in the way of hard hits (82.4 mph average exit velocity), it was the three walks that were troublesome. With Quinn Priester‘s status now in doubt for Opening Day, Gasser and the other candidates have a little wiggle room, yet still know they have to perform with the depth of the starters vying for a job. This was not a concerning outing for Gasser, but it could knock him down a rung if you are rating the candidates on a daily basis (which we hope you aren’t).
The shortstop, expected to be the starter at Triple-A to begin the season, has yet to get untracked this spring. He went 1-for-5 while appearing in all three games, but did have a hit, two walks, and scored twice against the Rockies. The 21-year-old is hitting just .200 (3-for-15) this spring. Pratt had a rough 2025 at Double-A Biloxi, posting a .238/.343/.348 while playing a career-high 120 games. His defense is not a question, but he has been inconsistent offensively, a trait that will need to change to become part of the MLB equation.