Brewers Truths and Lies: What's Real and Fake After 51 Games?

This has already been a roller coaster of a season

May 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) high fives teammates following the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are back where they belong: in firm control first place in the National League Central.

After Monday's win, the Brewers sat at 31-20 on the season and led the second-place St. Louis Cardinals, who they defeated 5-1 behind a stellar outing from ace Jacob Misiorowski, by 2 1/2 games. The Chicago Cubs, who had a comfortable lead in the division only three weeks ago, were 3 1/2 games back in the middle of a nine-game losing streak.

Most of us expected the Brewers to excel this season even after an offseason in which they traded away more talent than they got back on paper. But what have we seen so far that we should expect to continue, vs. what might be a bit misleading?

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Real: Jacob Misiorowski winning Cy Young

May 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws a pitch during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

We've already covered Misiorowski's Monday start extensively on Brewers On SI, but it's worth noting once more that in becoming the first player in the majors this season to reach 100 strikeouts on the mound, Misiorowski announced his presence at the top of the Cy Young Award leaderboard with authority.

Misiorowski had to claw his way into the Brewers rotation by the end of the playoffs last year, but with a full offseason to work on his craft, hopes were high that the 24-year-old could establish himself as a pseudo-ace. But at this point, we have to acknowledge him as a top-five pitcher in the game.

Fake: Sal Frelick's brutal struggles

May 24, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick (10) advances to second base after a wild pitch in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

We've spent a lot of time covering the issues the Brewers have had getting production out of the left side of their infield, but relative to expectations, right fielder Sal Frelick might be having the worst offensive season of anyone on the team (.217/.287/.298 slash line).

Knowing that Frelick has a lingering left knee injury that could one day need surgery might not help matters, but Frelick is still in the 88th percentile of sprint speed this year, and his hard-hit rate and expected stats are close enough to his career norms to expect a bounceback.

Jury's still out: Joey Ortiz, Luis Rengifo keeping starting jobs

May 22, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Luis Rengifo (13) fields and throws the ball to first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

We mentioned Ortiz and Rengifo already, but we'll take things a step further. Is it possible both the Brewers' starting third baseman and shortstop could be replaced by the trade deadline? Maybe even sooner?

It's probably fair to expect the Brewers to give either Cooper Pratt or Jett Williams, their two top infield prospects, a shot sometime soon. But what if they both prove they deserve to be in the lineup? If that's the case, Ortiz might be on the bench or in Triple-A, and the veteran Rengifo could be gone altogether.