With Andrew Vaughn Injured, Here Is How the Brewers Will Fill The Void At First Base

[Steve Drumwright]

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After just one game of the regular season, the Milwaukee Brewers are suddenly down two of the primary nine position players they expected to begin 2026 with.

First, on Opening Day, left fielder Jackson Chourio was ruled out for two to four weeks after he sustained a fractured left hand with Venezuela in a March 4 World Baseball Classic exhibition game and exacerbated the injury in the final tune-up games to begin this week. Then on Saturday, first baseman Andrew Vaughn followed Chourio to the 10-day injured list with a fractured left hamate bone.

Vaughn is expected to miss four to six weeks following surgery, which is scheduled for Monday. The hamate bone is a small, relatively useless bone at the base of the ring and little finger bones. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had surgery to remove his left hamate bone on Feb. 11 and returned to play a spring training game on March 15. Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Corbin Carroll broke his right hamate bone on Feb. 11, had surgery the same day, and was back in action March 11. Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday had his right hamate bone removed Feb. 12 and began a rehab assignment Friday. Those cases show the ends of the four- to six-week recovery.

Generally, there are no long-term effects to hitters who have their hamate bone removed, although there could be some short-term negative impact.

So what do the Brewers do now? It is a little complicated, but that is what the Brewers do. This is where their positional versatility will come into play. It just depends on how manager Pat Murphy wants to execute the plan.

With catcher Jeferson Quero, Brewer Fanatic's No. 7 prospect, called up to take Vaughn's spot on the roster and set to make his MLB debut, there are two obvious solutions.

Jake Bauers, a left-handed hitter who plays first base and left field and was expected to be the top bat off the bench this year, started in left field on Opening Day in place of Chourio. Bauers went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in the Crew's 14-2 triumph over the Chicago White Sox. Bauers is a good defender at the position and had a tremendous spring that carried over to the season's first game. If Bauers is at first base, that would put Brandon Lockridge, a right-handed hitter, or Blake Perkins, a switch-hitter, in left field.

On Saturday, Bauers started at first, and Lockridge was in left.

The other top option, considering Quero was called up, would be backup catcher Gary Sanchez, a right-handed hitter who could be in the lineup against left-handed starting pitchers. Bauers could still be in the lineup in left field, with Sanchez at first base and William Contreras behind the plate. Sanchez doesn't have a wealth of experience at first, having made four of his seven MLB appearances at the position in 2024 in his first stint with the Crew.

Those two choices provide Murphy with the ultimate flexibility. But there are other pieces to the plan. Contreras, who wants to play every day, could slide over to first base, where he made his lone appearance last year in the ninth inning of a 14-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 12. That would come into play when Quero starts behind the plate.

A bit out of the box, infielders Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton could try their hand at first base. Neither has played the position in the majors or minors, but both have played third base and should be able to adjust to the mechanics of first base, at least in an emergency.

Bauers at first and Lockridge in left feels like the most likely configuration, but the Brewers do have the flexibility for other combinations.

Vaughn and Chourio were big parts of the Brewers' offense entering the season, but now must deal with the absence of the hitters for a good chunk of April, a month where they have a season-high five days off (not including July's All-Star break).

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[Rick Daltons Flamethrower]

Gary Sanchez has 11 years of major league experience and has never played first base. Kind of surprising really. Doesn't mean he won't.  The out of the box Brewer's think- tank may have other ideas. I checked and found Luis Renfigo in his 8 yr career has also never player first base. David Hamilton has also never played first but has been in the other infield spots and the outfield. Brandon Lockridge also has no experience at first base. Jeferson Quero also has no first base experience. Blake Perkins doesn't either. Thankfully Jake Bauers does and will play there but he will probably be platooned with someone else at first. I wonder if they pondered bringing up Brock Wilken's who plays third but has also been learning to play first since last year. Big dude at 6ft 4in. All that being said I trust in Matt Arnold and Pat Murphy having a plan.

[Michael Trzinski]

41 minutes ago, Rick Daltons Flamethrower said:

Gary Sanchez has 11 years of major league experience and has never played first base. 

According to B-Ref, he has played seven games (16 innings) at 1B in the majors. Not much experience, but it seems he would be willing to play there. So there's that...

[Snoebird]

45 minutes ago, Rick Daltons Flamethrower said:

Gary Sanchez has 11 years of major league experience and has never played first base. Kind of surprising really. Doesn't mean he won't.  The out of the box Brewer's think- tank may have other ideas. I checked and found Luis Renfigo in his 8 yr career has also never player first base. David Hamilton has also never played first but has been in the other infield spots and the outfield. Brandon Lockridge also has no experience at first base. Jeferson Quero also has no first base experience. Blake Perkins doesn't either. Thankfully Jake Bauers does and will play there but he will probably be platooned with someone else at first. I wonder if they pondered bringing up Brock Wilken's who plays third but has also been learning to play first since last year. Big dude at 6ft 4in. All that being said I trust in Matt Arnold and Pat Murphy having a plan.

Tyler Black has experience at first base, but he would overload the lineup with left-handed hitters. How William Contreras reacts to playing first base will reflect on his willingness to give up his favorite position to heir apparent Jeferson Quero. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

From the moment I learned Vaughn was lost & Quero was called up I assumed Bauers plays 1B, and when he doesn't it'll be Sanchez. Like @Snoebirdpointed out, Black is yet ANOTHER LHH which keeps him from being the choice. The other positional options are not on the 40-man & are just scratching the surface at AAA anyway.

Insert "Gee, I wish we still had Ernesto Martinez!!!" comments here.

[Team Canada]

1 hour ago, Rick Daltons Flamethrower said:

Gary Sanchez has 11 years of major league experience and has never played first base

The article directly addresses this:

"Sanchez doesn't have a wealth of experience at first, having made four of his seven MLB appearances at the position in 2024 in his first stint with the Crew."

[JohnBriggs12]

What's not being said, is that the lineup is totally out of balance with 2 of their 3 best right-handed bats down one game into the season.  It wouldn't be so bad if Durbin or Monasterio were still around but they just had to be replaced by 2 more LH bats on a team full of them. 

I think we'll see more of Yelich in left, Sanchez DHing, Bauers at first, Lockridge in center and I would be on the lookout for a veteran RH bat as a stopgap somewhere.

[Snoebird]

1 hour ago, JohnBriggs12 said:

What's not being said, is that the lineup is totally out of balance with 2 of their 3 best right-handed bats down one game into the season.  It wouldn't be so bad if Durbin or Monasterio were still around but they just had to be replaced by 2 more LH bats on a team full of them. 

I think we'll see more of Yelich in left, Sanchez DHing, Bauers at first, Lockridge in center and I would be on the lookout for a veteran RH bat as a stopgap somewhere.

They have a 33-year-old unrostered first baseman in their dugout, but he too is a left-handed hitter: Daniel Vogelbach.