Two Brewers Prospects Viewed as Long-Shots to Replace Caleb Durbin

The Milwaukee Brewers have a hole to fill at third base.

Oct 11, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin (21) throws out Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw (6) in the third inning during game five of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Who is going to be playing third base for the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day?

That question has not been answered quite yet. Before the club's trade with the Boston Red Sox on Monday, that answer was obvious: Caleb Durbin. But now he's not a member of the organization any longer. Milwaukee traded Durbin to the Red Sox in a blockbuster swap that seemingly came to fruition out of thin air.

The Brewers got three pieces back in the Durbin trade: Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton and Shane Drohan. Hamilton is a speedy infielder who can play all over the place, but clearly the goal of this trade was the pitching that came to town.

In the aftermath, the question lingering over the team has been about this base. While the answer isn't clear, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did report two guys unlikely to land the job are No. 4 prospect Cooper Pratt and No. 19 prospect Brock Wilken.

The Brewers surprised the baseball world on Monday

Oct 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin (21) celebrates in the dugout after scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning during game three of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"What’s next for the Brewers? After dealing away Durbin as well as infielders Andrew Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, the Brewers now enter camp with only three non-first basemen infielders on their 40-man roster: Hamilton, Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz," Hogg wrote. "Jett Williams, acquired from the New York Mets in the Peralta deal, is also in that mix, although he’s not on the 40-man roster yet.

"Cooper Pratt and Brock Wilken, the projected left side of the Class AAA Nashville infield, will both be in big-league camp but it would be 'a major outside shot' for either to make the team on opening day or early in the season, as one source put it. (And if you’re dreaming crazy on Jesús Made making the team, that’s even less of a likelihood; there have been no extension talks from the sides, either).
Take all of this information and the reasonable conclusion would be that the Brewers will make a move to bolster their infield in the coming weeks."

Arguably, the most interesting infield option would be Williams if the club either shifted him to third base, or moved Joey Ortiz to third base and opened shortstop for Williams. They acquired him from the New York Mets for a reason in the Freddy Peralta deal. Pratt and Wilken are two intriguing prospects in their own right, but it's not too shocking that neither is likely to take the mantle at third base. There are options closer to the big leagues, starting with Williams.

More MLB: Brewers Got a Steal in Caleb Durbin-Red Sox Surprise Swap