Predicting the Brewers 26-man playoff roster

The Milwaukee Brewers are still nearly two full weeks away from having to submit their official roster for the National League Division Series, but chances are they already have a quite firm idea of which 26 players they will carry into their postseason opener.

>Below is a first crack at the expected roster for that NLDS, which begins Oct. 3 at American Family Field.

>

Catchers (3)William Contreras, Bo Naylor, Gary Sánchez

>One of the few decisions the Brewers have to make revolves around whether to carry 13 or 14 position players. They've gone with 14 (or more) in each non-seven game series the previous three years. With Kyle Harrison not making a very good case to be on the roster as the 13th pitcher, that would suggest another bat makes the team. Naylor hasn't been on the roster all September for no reason, and his presence on the roster would free up the Brewers to use Sánchez as desired without worrying about being caught without a catcher if William Contreras gets hurt mid-game.

Infielders (6)Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, Andrew Vaughn

>This group is as straightforward as it gets. The question is how Murphy will deploy Hamilton, Ortiz, Pratt and Vaughn.

Outfielders Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich

>Chourio will play in left every day. Mitchell is the center fielder against righties. The rest is still in the air. Does Jake Bauers slide back to right field against lefties, as he has much of the year? Does Frelick or Lara get the start in right against a righty? Does Murphy stick with Mitchell in center against a lefty or does he trust Lara?

Starting pitchers (4)Robert Gasser, Logan Henderson, Dustin May, Jacob Misiorowski

>The Brewers pitching plans after the first two games are still up in the air. Gasser figures to be involved in some length role. Chances are still more likely than not that May is, too.

Relief pitchers (8)Aaron Ashby, Shane Drohan, DL Hall, Trevor Megill, Chad Patrick, JoJo Romero, Antonio Senzatela, Abner Uribe

>Drohan gets the final bullpen spot over Kyle Harrison, Garrett Stallings and Grant Anderson. If the Brewers were to face a righty-heavy team such as San Diego, though, this spot could go to Anderson.

>This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Predicting the Brewers 26-man playoff roster