Brewers Debut New Luis Rengifo Experiment vs. Blue Jays

Apr 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Luis Rengifo (13) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

Brewers Debut New Luis Rengifo Experiment vs. Blue Jays

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 7:00 PM ET

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The Milwaukee Brewers' depth has been tested early and often so far this season.

Injuries have plagued the club and right now, the club is without the services of Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio right now. That's a lot of production to replace, but fortunately the club does have options. And, it doesn't hurt that the team has gotten creative as well.

Milwaukee signed veteran utility man Luis Rengifo just ahead of Opening Day and while his bat hasn't fully gotten going yet, he gives the club flexibility all over the place, even in positions he hadn't played before. On Thursday, Rengifo got the start at first base against the Toronto Blue Jays for the first time in his career. Not just his big leauge career, but his professional baseball career in general. Mike Vassallo, senior director of media relations for the Brewers, shared on X on Thursday that before Rengifo's start at first base, he had never played an inning of professional baseball at the position.

"Luis Rengifo starts at first base today. Prior to this season, he had never played an inning at first base in his professional career. This includes the Minor Leagues," Vasallo wrote on X.

Luis Rengifo starts at first base today. Prior to this season, he had never played an inning at first base in his professional career. This includes the Minor Leagues.#ThisIsMyCrew
— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) April 16, 2026

This says two things. First and foremost, the Brewers made a good move signing Rengifo. Again, his bat isn't fully going. He's slashing .125/.173/.208 in 14 games played. But he has three RBIs and can do things like this. The Brewers can move him around in a pinch. Throughout his career to this point, the Brewers utility man has seen action at all four infield spots and all three outfield spots. Plus, he's a .247 career hitter, so it's safe to assume his batting average is going to rise from .125 at some point.

The other takeaway is that the Brewers' depth really has been tested hard. Fortunately, the Brewers have Jake Bauers, who pinch-hit for Rengifo in the sixth inning of Thursday's contest, and Gary Sánchez, who has gotten some time at first base as well. But with Yelich now out too, you'll likely see a lot of Sánchez as DH, like on Thursday. So, that makes first base a little more difficult to cover if Bauers isn't in the game. This is what led to Rengifo getting the start.

Fortunately, the Brewers have Pat Murphy leading the charge as the club's manager. He's been the National League Manager of the Year for a reason. He has to maneuver through these challenges. Milwaukee entered the day on Thursday with a 9-8 record. It is still above .500, despite the challenges. The Brewers always find a way through. On Thursday, that meant a new position for Rengifo.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Brewers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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