Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Spring Training Storylines to Follow

The Brewers have one of the best farm systems in baseball, and a lot of their top-prospect talent will be on full display this spring.

Headlining this group is the No. 4 prospect in baseball, Jesús Made, and the No. 18 prospect in baseball, Luis Peña.

This is a tandem that should spearhead Brewers prospect rankings for the foreseeable future, and this spring will offer fans a tantalizing glimpse of what the middle infield of the future could look like in Milwaukee.

In regards to Made, he isn’t a candidate for the Opening Day roster at 18 years old, but he could reach the big leagues come season’s end should things go well for him this season. He’s already put some absurd swings together this spring, and Brewers fans should enjoy watching every rep of the team’s top prospect in the coming weeks.

There are plenty of other noteworthy names to watch beyond Milwaukee’s top two prospects, including Brock Wilken, Cooper Pratt, Luke Adams, and Andrew Fischer, among many others.

Fischer is shooting up third base prospect rankings following a strong start to his professional career in 2025, and both Adams and Wilken are two names worth keeping an eye on, as they could potentially impact the big-league level in 2026. While a longshot, it’s entirely possible, and a strong spring could get them started on the right foot.

Pratt has long been one of Milwaukee’s highest-regarded prospects, and at 21 years old, he could be knocking on the door of the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Pratt spent the entirety of 2025 in Double-A and still has some maturation to work through as a professional hitter, but the tools are there for him to be a strong contributor for the Brewers down the road. He’s a player worth watching how he responds to higher-caliber pitching in the coming weeks.

On the pitching side of things, newcomers Kyle Harrison and Brandon Sproat, Just Baseball’s No. 71 prospect, will be battling for the final rotation spot. They’re both seemingly MLB-ready but could start the year in Triple-A to get situated to the organization and work on arsenal optimization.

That said, they could easily pitch their way onto the big-league roster with a strong camp.

Bishop Letson is already a name stealing headlines with his noticeable uptick in velocity, and he’s a player whose stock could keep skyrocketing in 2026.

Other noteworthy prospects include Jeferson Quero, Jett Williams, and Logan Henderson, but they will be touched upon in greater detail throughout this article.

For some, seeing prospects shine out is one of the most exciting parts of spring training. Some of Milwaukee’s biggest and brightest up-and-coming talent will be on display this spring, so be sure to take in every second of it.

Is Logan Henderson the Favorite to Win the Final Rotation Spot?

Some spots in the Brewers’ starting rotation are set. Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, and Chad Patrick are assumed to be the top four heading into Opening Day. But, as mentioned, that leaves one open spot for several arms to compete for this spring.

Right now, Logan Henderson, who just checked in at No. 92 on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects List, has the inside track to winning the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Not only was he stellar in his small big-league sample last season, throwing to a 1.78 ERA across his five MLB starts, but a recent arsenal change could be what establishes himself as a big-league starter.

Henderson was primarily a two-pitch pitcher in 2025. His four-seam sits around just 93 mph but boasts elite shape. In 2025, his fastball averaged 17.1 inches of IVB with 11 inches of arm-side run, and hitters batted just .196 against it. He threw the pitch over 48% of the time, and hitters couldn’t do much against it. With his lower release height, it’s the bread and butter of his arsenal.

His second-most-used pitch is his changeup, which he threw 40% of the time in MLB last season. It was equally as lethal, yielding just a .161 batting average and slugging percentage against. However, he’s long been searching for a third reliable offering — preferably something that moves glove side.

He’s experimented with a cutter and slider in the past, but early indications this spring suggest that Henderson could be ditching his slider in favor of a curveball that has the potential to be the third offering he ahs been searching for.

In Henderson’s lone inning this spring, he did not throw a single slider and broke out a curveball that generated significantly more movement than his slider. One may laugh at it only being a one-inning sample, but that’s a substantial development for Henderson and his chances to crack the Opening Day rotation.

Keep an eye on his outings this spring — if this arsenal change persists and he looks sharp in the coming weeks, he has a good shot at winning the final spot in the rotation.

The Third Base Position Battle

Beyond the battle for the final rotation spot, third base is certainly a position to monitor following the departure of Caleb Durbin.

Just days after the move, the Brewers brought in Luis Rengifo on a one-year contract, likely to be the team’s Opening Day third baseman. However, that doesn’t mean he has a firm grasp on the position.

For starters, Rengifo’s defense has tailed off over throughout the years. In 1,417.2 career innings at third, he has racked up -6 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -18 outs above average (OAA).

Between 2024 and 2025, Rengifo has -7 DRS and -10 OAA at the position. That puts a lot of pressure on Rengifo’s bat to perform to retain the third base role. For a team like Milwaukee that values defensive ability, his limitations with the glove opens the door for others to potentially grab hold of the job.

Rengifo has put together successful seasons at the plate in the past. In 2024, Rengifo performed well in 78 games with the Angels, hitting .300 with a 118 wRC+. His play took a step back in 2025, though, posting an OPS of .622 with a 73 wRC+.

Monitoring how Rengifo acclimates to his new clubhouse will be a storyline itself, but keep an eye on the other options being worked into third base as well.

Mainly, track how Jett Williams performs at the hot corner — a position he has never played at the professional level. While it’s a long shot for him to make the Opening Day roster given he has little time at Triple-A under his belt, the Brewers will see what he is capable of this spring.

His speed has already been on full display. That’s one way he can make an impact from the get-go, so it’ll be a matter of how comfortable he looks at third defensively.

David Hamilton is also getting reps at third base and could be a platoon option for Milwaukee. A lefty-handed batter, Hamilton could pair nicely with Williams, a righty, or Rengifo, a switch-hitter who has historically performed better from the right side of the plate.

Eddys Leonard (another right-handed hitter) has only seen time in left field so far this spring, but keep an eye on him as a sleeper option for the job out of camp. He’s a non-roster invitee, so he has an uphill battle to win the job, but he brings some power to the position which is something the other candidates mentioned aren’t necessarily known for.

Just remember, Vinny Capra was Milwaukee’s Opening Day starting third baseman in 2025 after having a very strong spring. Whoever earns the role out of camp isn’t guaranteed to keep the job long term, but a strong spring can give a player the upper hand.

Track Brandon Woodruff’s Ramp Up

With Freddy Peralta no longer in the picture, Brandon Woodruff is the de facto ace heading into Opening Day. However, in a recent interview with Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Woodruff isn’t a slam dunk to be ready for the start of the season.

“It’s up in the air right now,” Woodruff said. “I know that term’s used a lot. There’s one goal I have this year and that’s to be healthy. I want to be available at the end of the year when it matters most.”

While every Brewers fan wants to see Woodruff toe the rubber on March 26 when the season gets underway, Milwaukee will not rush the 33-year-old onto the mound for Opening Day. He’s a lot more valuable to the team in the middle and toward the end of the season rather than the beginning, so expect Woodruff’s ramp-up process to proceed slowly as he builds up.

Woodruff did state that he is “in a good spot,” which is certainly encouraging. What’s more, it’s important to take spring training box scores with a grain of salt, especially for a veteran like Woodruff.

Instead, keep an eye on how he is progressing through the spring. His pitch counts, velocity, or any arsenal tweaks, along with how he is recovering from his outings, are things to consider when watching the veteran throw between now and Opening Day.

How Is Jeferson Quero Progressing?

Jeferson Quero, Just Baseball’s No. 85 prospect, has long been considered one of the top catching prospects in baseball but has seen his prospect status deflate a tad in recent seasons.

It’s at no fault of his own, though. He lost all of 2024 to a torn labrum, a gruesome injury for any player but especially for a catcher who provides a lot of defensive value. He worked his way back in 2025 but missed a little more time with injuries.

In short, everyday repetitions are extremely valuable at this point in Quero’s development after what he has been through. While that may mean he starts the year in the minors, his performance this spring could be a good indication of when we see him make his MLB debut.

For a while, it looked like he was going to be given the backup job to William Contreras on the MLB roster. That was until the Brewers brought in Reese McGuire on a minor-league deal with an invite to camp and then later reunited with slugger Gary Sánchez on an MLB contract.

As it stands now, Sánchez is likely to be Contreras’ primary backup with Quero starting the year in Triple-A.

And that makes sense, as it will be far more valuable for Quero to get consistent playing time at catcher with Triple-A Nashville rather than split time in the majors. Quero is still quite young — he’ll be 23 years old for the entirety of the 2026 season — and steady reps will be more beneficial for him in the long run.

That said, with Sánchez signing for less than $2 million, there isn’t much of a financial commitment there. Even if Quero starts the year with Nashville, he could still force his way to MLB with a strong spring and start to the year.

The Bench Battle

Outside of the battle for the final rotation spot and the fight for the starting third base job, it will be interesting to see how the Brewers choose to fill out their bench for Opening Day.

Mainly, who will be the Brewers’ fourth outfielder? There are plenty of options for the team to consider.

As it currently stands, their primary options are Blake Perkins, Akil Baddoo, and Brandon Lockridge.

With Jake Bauers locked up to a bench spot, a player who they also deploy as an emergency outfield option, it’s likely the Brewers elect to go with just one of these players to be the primary backup outfielder.

Perkins has spent three seasons with the big-league team, and it’s well known what he brings to the table at this point. He’s a below-average hitter, sporting an 85 wRC+ across 242 career MLB games, but he is a valuable baserunner and an elite defender. Given he has the most experience with the Brewers, he likely has the inside track to the job.

That said, Baddoo could work his way onto the MLB roster with a good spring. It’s been a fall from grace after an impressive rookie season back in 2021 for Baddoo. That said, he’s historically posted strong defensive results in a corner-outfield spot (career +16 DRS and +4 OAA between left and right field).

However, he’s a lesser defender in center, which hurts his case to make the roster considering that’s where Perkins thrives defensively. He does have an option remaining, so he can start the year in Triple-A if needed. However, it’s been a strong start to the 27-year-old’s spring, so there is a world in which he hits his way onto the Opening Day roster.

Lockridge is the longshot of the group, but, like Baddoo, perhaps he can win the spot with a strong offensive performance in the coming weeks. Lockridge, who was acquired for Nestor Cortes at last year’s trade deadline, is an elite baserunner with 99th-percentile sprint speed and can play strong defense in all three outfield positions.

Yes, it has only been three games, but Lockridge has hit the ground running this spring with two homers and a stolen base in his first 10 plate appearances. I am not a proponent of box score watching in spring training, but the battle for the fourth outfield spot could come down to who is swinging the hottest bat leading up to March 26.

All three of the players mentioned above have minor-league options, so there is flexibility here.

As mentioned, Bauers is all but locked into a bench spot as Andrew Vaughn’s backup at first base, and Sánchez is expected to claim one of the spots assuming they don’t carry three catchers.

In all likelihood, the final bench spot will be Hamilton’s, but considering he too has a minor-league option remaining, he could be in a battle with Williams for the utility infield job. There’s an overwhelming likelihood that Hamilton gets the role with Williams starting in Triple-A, but it’s a fun storyline for Brewers fans to follow nonetheless.