Former Brewers spread across eight MLB postseason rosters

Milwaukee's record season earned five days off, while former Brewers from Josh Hader to Caleb Durbin suit up elsewhere as wild-card play opens Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The Milwaukee Brewers finished the 2026 regular season with baseball's best record and the top mark in franchise history, a finish that buys them five days of rest while the wild-card round begins Tuesday, Sept. 29. Once postseason play opens, former Brewers will be scattered across eight playoff rosters.

Tampa Bay pairs two of them. Drew Rasmussen, dealt away in the 2021 Willy Adames trade, developed into a multi-time All-Star and made 30 starts with a 2.67 ERA, 174 strikeouts in 172 innings and a 0.913 WHIP, the lowest among qualified American League starters. Freddy Peralta, traded to the Mets in the offseason and on to Tampa at the deadline, has a 3.25 ERA and 1.012 WHIP in 55 innings, with three earned runs over his last six starts (34 innings).

Boston holds three players from the offseason trade that brought three contributors to Milwaukee. Caleb Durbin answered with a 4.4-WAR season at third base (.710 OPS, 101 OPS-plus, 13 homers, 20 steals), and Fielding Bible and Statcast both graded him the AL's best defensive third baseman (13 Defensive Runs Saved, seven Outs Above Average) as Boston climbed from a slow start to a wild-card berth. Andruw Monasterio added six homers and a .665 OPS in 107 games while covering every infield spot. Anthony Seigler (.727 OPS in 49 games) ended the year on the injured list with wrist inflammation, his playoff availability in question.

Houston's bullpen features Josh Hader, who at 32 turned in another dominant year. He finished with a 1.01 ERA and 26 saves in 45 innings, 55 strikeouts against 15 walks, one home run allowed and a 0.761 WHIP.

The Chicago White Sox bring three more. Left-hander Bryan Hudson recorded a 3.74 ERA in 61 innings, a year after a 1.73 ERA in Milwaukee's bullpen. Erick Fedde covered 141 innings across 15 starts at a 3.83 ERA, following a seven-game Brewers stint late last season (3.38 ERA). Reliever Trevor Richards managed a 3.78 ERA in 52 games with a 1.13 WHIP; Chicago is his sixth club since the Brewers traded him, after Toronto, Minnesota, Kansas City, Arizona and Philadelphia.

Atlanta collected its own Milwaukee ties. Brent Suter, acquired from the Angels at the deadline, delivered a 1.63 ERA in 28 innings with a 0.882 WHIP and one homer allowed. Mauricio Dubón, briefly a Brewer before the 2019 Drew Pomeranz trade, raised his output to 12 homers and a .719 OPS and offers two career Gold Gloves in the infield or outfield. Brewer Hicklen, an outfielder who appeared in three games for Milwaukee in 2024, collected 10 hits, five doubles among them, in 47 plate appearances across 20 games with Atlanta and could earn a roster spot with Lane Thomas injured.

The Chicago Cubs feature three of their own. Tyrone Taylor, moved from the Mets before the deadline after entering the Brewers organization in 2012 and holding a big-league spot from 2019 to 2023, owns an .890 OPS in 82 plate appearances. Colin Rea logged 137 innings across 34 appearances, 19 starts, at a 4.34 ERA. Aaron Civale, who faced Milwaukee in the 2025 playoffs, finished with a 1.72 ERA and 1.064 WHIP in 18 games, though his roster spot is not guaranteed.

Trent Grisham's status with the Yankees is uncertain after a right hamstring injury cost him most of September, though he has said he is ready to play. Milwaukee's 2015 first-round pick hit 18 homers with a .703 OPS in 121 games, down from 34 homers and an .811 OPS in 2025, and DRS and OAA metrics have rated his defense below average for two years running.

Cleveland's Rhys Hoskins has been out since Aug. 19 with back inflammation; the Guardians' ALDS start buys him recovery time, but his availability remains unclear after a .179 average, 13 homers and a .682 OPS in 95 games. Boston's group of former Brewers also includes Jahmai Jones, who had a brief Milwaukee stint in 2023.