Brewers 22-Year-Old Addresses Roster Uncertainty After Luis Rengifo Signing

The Milwaukee Brewers gave everyone a bit of whiplash recently when it came to the starting third-base job.

On Feb. 9, the Brewers traded away Caleb Durbin, the rookie starter at third base a year ago, in a six-player deal with the Boston Red Sox. There was a brief moment when it looked like David Hamilton or Jett Williams might start at the hot corner, but at the end of last week, the Brewers agreed to a one-year deal with Luis Rengifo that became official on Monday.

Hamilton always worked best as a bench player on this roster, but Williams, the 22-year-old top prospect acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade last month, now faces a bit more uncertainty due to Rengifo's arrival.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Williams open to playing anywhere

Milwaukee Brewers infielder/outfielder Jett Williams (76) works with Nashville Sounds bench coach David Tufo, center, and infield coordinator Andrew Romine at third base during spring training workouts Saturday, February 14, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Monday, with his path to a starting job in the majors more blocked than it was the week before, Williams asserted he's comfortable playing any of the three main infield spots. The speedster can play center field as well, but with everyone healthy, the Brewers have the outfield well covered at the moment.

"Playing third, second, short -- honestly, I don't care where I play," Williams said, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Took some ground balls at third; pretty easy. Still on the left side of the diamond, so it's having different reads and stuff."

Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz are set to reprise their roles as the starting second baseman and shortstop, respectively. Turang has continued to level up and looks to be one of the elites at his position moving forward, while Ortiz has to be looking over his shoulder at this point.

If Williams is going to replace anyone on this infield, barring injury, Ortiz now looks like the most likely candidate. The 27-year-old will have to prove his .593 OPS last season was an aberration, or Williams will get his shot to take over.

For now, though, it's good for Williams to see reps at all three infield spots, because the Brewers thrive on versatility and being able to adjust their roster on the fly.

More MLB: Brewers' Christian Yelich Sends Warning Message to Rest of NL Central