In just a few short days, the Milwaukee Brewers will see their pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. As fans are well aware, this year’s roster is going to be missing a familiar face, with Freddy Peralta having been traded to the New York Mets earlier this winter. However, they have plenty of young arms returning, and some new talent to add to the mix.
Some of this new talent was acquired in a surprising trade on Monday that saw several players, most notably Caleb Durbin, dealt to the Boston Red Sox. As part of the return, Milwaukee received two intriguing left-handed pitchers who may factor into their pitching staff this year.
Milwaukee Brewers pitchers that may be in the starting rotation in 2026
In terms of what pitchers should be considered locks for the starting rotation, the following three names come to mind:
- Brandon Woodruff
- Quinn Priester
- Jacob Misiorowski
Woodruff, the team’s former ace, is coming back on a one-year $22 million contract and is poised to resume his spot at the top of the rotation in the wake of Peralta’s departure. Priester was 13-3 last season, led the National League in win percentage, and should be considered a rotation lock.
Misiorowski may have come out of the bullpen in the postseason, but there is no doubt that the 2025 All-Star has a future in MLB as a starter, and the Brewers will certainly put him in the rotation in 2026.
In addition to these three, the following pitchers will be competing for spots in the starting rotation:
- Coleman Crow (RHP)
- Shane Drohan (LHP)
- DL Hall (LHP)
- Robert Gasser (LHP)
- Kyle Harrison (LHP)
- Logan Henderson (RHP)
- Chad Patrick (RHP)
- Carlos Rodriguez (RHP)
- Brandon Sproat (RHP)
- Angel Zerpa (LHP)
As one can see, there is no shortage of candidates to fill out Milwaukee’s starting pitching rotation. Some have made starts for the Brewers before, while others are newly acquired from off-season trades.
That being said, based on the high quality of depth, the Brewers’ Triple-A starting rotation may be more talented than some Major League teams’.
*All pitchers listed above are already in Milwaukee’s 40-man roster.
Who will be the backup catcher behind William Contreras on the Milwaukee Brewers?
Of course, William Contreras is going to be the Brewers’ starting catcher for the fourth consecutive season. And considering the fact a fractured finger could not keep him out last season, it stands to reason that whoever is Milwaukee’s backup catcher is not going to see much playing time.
Currently Jeferson Quero is the only other catcher on the Brewers 40-man roster. However, Milwaukee may want him to keep playing at Triple-A in order to get him more regular at-bats.
Recently, the Brewers signed veteran backup catcher Reese McGuire to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. In all likelihood, he, or another surprise veteran signing, will start the year as Contreras’ backup.
That is, of course, unless the Brewers decide to roll with Quero and get him more regular at bats at DH. That, though, would affect the playing time of Christian Yelich and the corner outfielders.
In any case, the race for backup catcher will be an interesting one to watch during Spring Training.
More Milwaukee Brewers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Brewers sign former Reds outfielder ahead of 2026 Spring Training
- Former Brewers fan favorite signing with the Los Angeles Angels
- Previewing the 2026 Brewers batting order and possible starting rotation
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