Projecting 2025 Brewers NLDS Playoff Roster: The Latest Update

The Padres and Cubs have done exactly what the Brewers hoped they would this week: play two tough, evenly matched games that broke down 1-1, forcing a decisive Game 3 Thursday. Whichever team advances to face the Crew in the NLDS beginning Saturday, they'll have left a little bit of themselves at Wrigley Field. Even when Game 1 of the NLDS begins, the visitors won't be especially fresh.

The Brewers, by contrast, need worry (if at all) only about rust. They've had four days off, and have one more left. There's been time for further convalescence by Trevor Megill, who returned from his forearm strain Sunday, and for Jose Quintana to get closer to full health, to boot. The team has also hosted workouts at Uecker Field over the last few days, to ensure everyone remains ready and to evaluate their options as they prepare to attempt their first deep playoff run since 2018.

Let's take a beat, now, to consider those options for ourselves. Here's the best projection we can muster of the team's NLDS roster, based on the limited information available about a few players nursing injuries and on the way players performed and were used late in the campaign.

Catchers
William Contreras
Danny Jansen

Contreras hasn't been fully healthy all season, so it seemed maddeningly fitting that he picked up a new pain point during the final fortnight of the season. Hit in the back of his mitt hand on a swing, Contreras is still dealing with a bruise. Since he's been playing through a fractured finger on that hand all season, though, it's safe to say that he'll be in the lineup come Saturday. There's an argument for sliding him down in the batting order somewhat, because a tender hand makes getting off one's 'A' swing a bit more difficult, but even that seems unlikely.

Infielders
Andrew Vaughn
Brice Turang
Joey Ortiz
Caleb Durbin
Jake Bauers
Andruw Monasterio

Here, we're predicting that neither Rhys Hoskins nor Anthony Seigler will make the cut for the playoff run ahead. That shouldn't come as any significant surprise, given the lack of a real role created for Hoskins when he returned from his thumb injury. Seigler never quite found his stride in the majors and didn't even stick on the regular-season roster near the end of the year. The only case to make for carrying him is that his versatility on the infield could have shielded the team from any unforeseen injury issues. We're betting the Brewers will prefer to roll the dice on Andruw Monasterio being able to do that for them, instead.

Outfielders
Christian Yelich
Jackson Chourio
Blake Perkins
Sal Frelick
Isaac Collins
Brandon Lockridge

Most of these are extremely uncontroversial. Isaac Collins's role shrank as the season wound down, reflecting the fact that both his bat and his glove seemed to sag beginning in mid-August. Still, he's safely on the roster. Brandon Lockridge is the most intriguing inclusion. He's taking the final spot the team might carve out for hitters, at the expense of Hoskins. It's a straightforward choice of speed over right-handed power (compromised by injury and age, anyway) as the better tactical weapon for Pat Murphy; Lockridge could pinch-run for Andrew Vaughn or Contreras in a variety of plausible scenarios.

Starting Pitchers
Freddy Peralta
Quinn Priester
Jose Quintana

Now, we're getting into bolder territory. Jose Quintana's recovery from a calf strain appears to be going very well over the last week, and a Game 3 start wouldn't be until Wednesday—leaving the Brewers even more time for him to get fully ready for a lengthy appearance in that contest. Quintana isn't better than Chad Patrick or Tobias Myers, or perhaps even than Jacob Misiorowski, but he's an extremely experienced starter with a postseason track record that supports his case for the third start in this series.

Relief Pitchers
Abner Uribe
Aaron Ashby
Jared Koenig
Trevor Megill
Chad Patrick
Nick Mears
Tobias Myers
Rob Zastryzny
Jacob Misiorowski

Bulk work out of the pen is very possible, even in this short series with multiple days off threaded in early. Patrick looks poised to get a good chunk of it, along with Myers. The rest of this group is all about shortening games and intimidating hitters with great stuff or desperately pitcher-friendly matchups. Abner Uribe figures to remain the relief ace, but Megill might yet reclaim his place as the nominal closer before the postseason gets too far underway. Misiorowski's upside in a short-relief role is obvious. He just has to show enough command to rise to it.

Most teams are scrambling to fill their roster with players who have at least some utility for series like these. The Brewers, instead, will leave at least a couple of useful players out of the group and ask them to stay ready in case something changes. They've suffered at least their share of injuries, but still, they've reached October intact enough to make it easy to imagine a push further into October. This might not be exactly the 26-man roster they use Saturday, and even if it is, we might see a change or two if they make it to the next round.