3 Position Battles to Watch as Brewers Begin Cactus League Play

Spring training has two purposes. One is for all the players to get back up to game speed, following the offseason. The other is to figure out the best 26 players to put on your Opening Day roster, and which roles they ought to fill.

With games in Arizona and Florida beginning this weekend and the Milwaukee Brewers opening Cactus League play Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, competition for a few of those roster spots begins in earnest. Just like the regular season, things will get more intense as we check games off the schedule.

With the moves made by president of baseball operations Matt Arnold this offseason, there are only a few things to figure out this spring.

Here are the three position battles to pay attention to during Cactus League play. (Players listed in order of strongest candidacy.)

No. 4 and No. 5 Starting Pitcher

Let's start with the given. Right-handers Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski occupy the top three slots in the starting rotation. There's a nice group of pitchers to fill out the final two spots following the Freddy Peralta trade. The winner of this competition might be Triple-A Nashville manager Rick Sweet, who could have an MLB-level rotation. Everyone in this section is already on the 40-man roster. At least one (and perhaps two) could end up in the bullpen.

RHP Chad Patrick: He finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting after starting 23 games and making four relief appearances in the regular season. He posted a 3.53 FIP and a 117 ERA+ with an 8% walk rate and 25.2% strikeout rate, both better than the MLB averages. He was also a dynamic reliever in the postseason, allowing two runs over 11 innings, striking out 11 and walking one. A bullpen role could be an option, depending on how the rotation shakes out.

RHP Logan Henderson: In addition to 16 starts at Triple-A, Henderson also made five MLB starts before his 2025 was cut short by a strained flexor in early August. He was really good in the minors and much better in his brief time in MLB, although his 3.02 FIP belied his 1.78 ERA. He did have a 33.3% strikeout rate and would seem to be in a good position for an Opening Day spot.

LHP Robert Gasser: He underwent Tommy John surgery early in the 2024 campaign, but returned to make two starts late in 2025 and was included on the postseason roster. As a rare left-hander in this competition, he could have an advantage if the Brewers want to have a southpaw in the rotation. But he is also ready to prove what he can do at the highest level. He hasn't been a big strikeout pitcher in his brief MLB time, with his 14.7% strikeout rate about half of what it has been in the minors, while he has been better at limiting walks in the majors than he was in the minors.

LHP Kyle Harrison: One of two pitchers acquired in the Caleb Durbin trade, Harrison joins Gasser as a lefty vying for a starting gig. His repertoire was retooled with the Red Sox, who kept him at Triple-A until three late-season outings. If the Brewers have even more adjustments in mind, he could be the next success story for one of the game's best pitching development groups.

RHP Brandon Sproat: The pitcher the Crew got back in the Peralta-Tobias Myers deal, Sproat made his MLB debut as the New York Mets tried to plug their struggling rotation late last year. In four starts, the results were mixed. He could easily start the season in the big-league rotation, but could also benefit from a little extra seasoning at Triple-A. He did post a 4.24 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) at that level in 2025.

RHP Coleman Crow: After having Tommy John surgery late in the 2023 season and being acquired from the New York Mets that offseason, Crow played in the Arizona Fall League in 2024 and made 12 starts between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville last year. He had a 2.51 ERA at Biloxi in 10 starts and a 7.71 ERA in two starts at Nashville. Perhaps most importantly, he had a healthy offseason to get ready for this spring.

LHP Shane Drohan: The other pitcher picked up in the Durbin deal, Drohan has a ton of potential, but has battled injuries and poor control. His potential got him to Triple-A in 2023, and he may have finally had a breakthrough in 2025, when he had a 2.25 ERA in 12 outings (11 starts) at that level. In five minor-league seasons, Drohan has a 4.29 ERA, striking out 10.3 per nine innings and walking 4.5.

RHP Carlos Rodriguez: The 24-year-old has had two cups of coffee with the Brewers; neither went well. He also didn't dominate at Triple-A in 2025, the second year in a row at that level. He would appear ticketed back there, unless he shows something different this spring. He might also be the most vulnerable player on the 40-man roster, should the team need a spot.

Center Field

Position battle might be too strong for this. This is more of a health issue. Yeah, we're talking about ...

Garrett Mitchell: Having made his debut in 2022, the uber-talented Mitchell has yet to play in a season's worth of games. Due to a variety of injuries, he has played in a mere 141 games at the MLB level in those four seasons. When he has played, Mitchell has accrued 3.3 fWAR by putting up a .254/.333/.433 slash line with 13 homers, 40 RBIs and 23 steals. The Brewers have had stellar defense in center for most of the last decade, but the lack of a true offensive contributor from the position would be a nice thing to change. If Mitchell can stay healthy, that's eminently possible.

Blake Perkins: After a 2025 that didn't go his way, Perkins's role for 2026 is really dependent on Mitchell. A terrific defender, Perkins broke his leg on a foul tip in spring training and didn't return until mid-July. He has his moments offensively, but in his three-year career, Perkins has a slash line of .232/.314/.339, with 13 homers, 82 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 242 games. That results in a 3.1 fWAR. Perkins is a switch-hitter, while Mitchell hits left-handed, so they could end up platooning.

Last Bench Spot

This has changed a bit with the Durbin trade, which zapped the experienced infield depth by including Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler. Of course, that's been partially balancd by the signing of Luis Rengifo to play third base. Each team has four bench spots, with one occupied by the backup catcher. In the Crew's case, that is Gary Sánchez.

How about the other three backups? One goes to first baseman-outfielder Jake Bauers, who earned his roster spot with his late-season and postseason performance in 2025. Perkins has another, leaving one more to figure out. There needs to be a backup infielder who has positional versatility.

David Hamilton: The third and final player who came over in the Durbin deal, Hamilton is the top candidate to replace Monasterio as the utility player. In 204 games over the last three seasons with the Red Sox, the Crew's eighth-round draft choice in 2019 has split time at second base (109) and shortstop (87). He has limited experience in the minors in center field, and even less at third base. As long as he can fill the defensive requirements as Monasterio did, anything he produces offensively will be a bonus.

Jett Williams: I am contractually obliged to mention the other player the Crew picked up in the Peralta trade. He has had a brief time at Triple-A in 2025, with a .231/.326/.449 slash line with seven homers in 40 games. He can play anywhere up the middle: shortstop, second base or center field. Williams has the potential to be a dynamic player and is a top-75 prospect in all of baseball. His talent could lead to a spring surge and see him play his way onto the Opening Day roster, potentially even starting at third base if he sees time there this spring. Otherwise, he could be an option to be called up from Nashville, where he will get the playing time he needs to continue his development.

Cooper Pratt: Like Williams, Pratt is not on the 40-man roster, which is a hurdle to him making the roster. Pratt has yet to play a game at Triple-A, which makes his inclusion here a bit of a long shot. At Double-A Biloxi in 2025, Pratt slashed .238/.343/.348, with eight homers, 62 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Other than three games at rookie ball, Pratt has only played shortstop in the minors. He needs to diversify that this spring, even if it's just by moonlighting at second base. But unless he forces his way into a starting position, he will have the same destination as Williams: Nashville.