Brewers NLCS Roster Projection 1.0: Shane Drohan Out, 4-Year Vet In

The Milwaukee Brewers will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second straight year in the National League Championship Series with a chance to advance to the World Series.

Last year, the Dodgers got the best of the Brewers and swept Milwaukee in four games. Arguably, the Brewers are in a much better position right now heading into the 2026 NLCS, rather than last year heading into the 2025 NLCS. That is in large part because of the pitching.

With that being said, let's dive in with our first roster projection for the National League Championship Series.

Position Players

Catcher (2)

Oct 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) hits a solo home run during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres in game three of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

William Contreras, Gary Sanchez

No surprises here. The Brewers rolled with two catchers in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, rather than carrying three. If the Brewers were to carry a third catcher, Bo Naylor would be the guy. But at this point, it doesn't seem likely. Contreras played in all four games in the NLDS. Sanchez had one plate appearance, and it was a great one. Adding a third would take a roster spot away elsewhere.

Infielders (6)

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang — Brewers second baseman Brice Turang drives in a run with a single during the first inning for his 100th RBI of the season against the Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 27 at American Family Field. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, Cooper Pratt, Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton

These are the six infielders who were with the Brewers in the National League Division Series. There's no reason to believe that a change will be made. An infield of Bauers at first base, Turang at second base, Pratt at shortstop and Ortiz at third base is Milwaukee's best bet.

Outfielders (4)

Oct 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) takes the field before the game against the San Diego Padres in game three of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jackson Chourio, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick

Again, no changes here. Lara didn't get much playing time in the National League Division Series. That doesn't mean he won't get time in the NLCS. But expect to see a lot of Chourio, Mitchell and Frelick.

Designated Hitter (1)

Christian Yelich

Fairly obvious here.

Pitchers

Starters (4)

Oct 3, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) reacts after pitching in the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres in game one of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, Dustin May, Robert Gasser

These four are the starters Milwaukee is rolling with. In the NLDS, the Brewers went Misiorowski, Henderson, May and then Gasser in Game 4. Misiorowski will certainly get the ball in Game 1 and Henderson in Game 2. It will be interesting to see if the Brewers flip Gasser and May, but all four did their jobs in the NLDS.

Bullpen (9)

Sep 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) walks back to the dugout in the fifth inning after pitching two scoreless innings at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Grant Anderson, Kyle Harrison, Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, JoJo Romero, Chad Patrick, DL Hall, Antonio Senzatela

This is the only area in which we have a change from the NLDS. Milwaukee carried nine relievers in the NLDS and certainly got usage out of them. Shane Drohan, Kyle Harrison and Chad Patrick didn't take the hill, though. All three give you length, but Milwaukee also has Grant Anderson on the sidelines, who had a very good season.

We saw how much usage the Brewers' bullpen got in the NLDS and how they're not afraid to use the same guys over and over. With that being said, you arguably don't need three guys to come in and give you length, especially if they weren't used in the NLDS. Because of this, we flipped Anderson in for Drohan. Anderson had a 3.36 ERA in 52 appearances in the regular season and has two playoff appearances under his belt, including a scoreless outing against Los Angeles in the playoffs last year.

The Brewers surely won't make many changes. They got here, didn't they? But adding Anderson to the mix would give another intriguing bullpen option.

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