The Brewers’ playoff picture on the mound got a lot sharper this week.
With Milwaukee already locked into the National League Division Series thanks to a first-round bye for the second straight year, the club still has to settle on its 26-man roster before the postseason opens on Saturday, October 3 at American Family Field. Most of the roster looks settled. The real debate has been around the edges.
One of those questions appears to be answered. Manager Pat Murphy made it clear earlier this week that rookie left-hander Shane Drohan will be on the NLDS roster, with MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy relaying the message on X: Shane Drohan is on the NLDS roster "come hell or high water."
Then there was an extended conversation about the origin of that idiom. Turns out it has something to do with cattle.
For Milwaukee, that’s more than a colorful quote. It’s a strong signal that Drohan’s role in October is already penciled in.
The 2026 season has quietly become a breakout year for the 26-year-old southpaw. Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin deal back in February, Drohan has moved between the rotation and bullpen while carving out a major role for himself. He has thrown the second-most innings on the team behind Jacob Misiorowski and owns a 4.24 ERA overall.
His bullpen numbers are the part that matter most for the playoffs. In relief, Drohan has posted a 1.55 ERA over 29 innings, with a 25.0% strikeout rate and a .202 opponent batting average. That kind of production makes him a natural fit for October leverage.
Jacob Misiorowski unsurprisingly leads the Brewers in innings pitched this year. Second on that list is rookie southpaw Shane Drohan, who has quietly been one of the most important pieces of the Brewers' pitching staff in 2026.
More on Drohan's impressive rookie season ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hV5xlZKe0I
- Reviewing the Brew (@ReviewngTheBrew) September 21, 2026
Now that Drohan’s spot is confirmed, the Brewers’ pitching plans for the NLDS look close to complete. The biggest remaining question seems to be whether the club trusts struggling lefty Kyle Harrison in October. But with Drohan locked in, Milwaukee may already have its answer.
The expectation is that the Brewers will carry 12 pitchers for the best-of-five series, even though postseason rosters can include as many as 13. Teams often hold back the extra arm for a longer best-of-seven round, which is why this stage usually comes down to a tighter group.
That would leave the Brewers with what looks like a near-set list of 12 arms:
RHP Jacob Misiorowski
RHP Logan Henderson
RHP Dustin May
LHP Robert Gasser
RHP Trevor Megill
RHP Abner Uribe
LHP Aaron Ashby
RHP Chad Patrick
LHP DL Hall
RHP Antonio Senzatela
LHP JoJo Romero
LHP Shane Drohan
It would be a surprise to see any of those pitchers left off the roster, though postseason matchups can always nudge a team in an unexpected direction. A year ago, some Brewers fans were caught off guard when Gasser made the NLCS roster, but the choice made sense against the Dodgers’ left-handed bats.
That same kind of matchup logic could still open the door for someone like Harrison, who would need a strong showing in one of the final two games to stay in the mix. Grant Anderson also has the kind of profile that can give certain right-handed hitters trouble. Still, at this point, the most likely outcome is that the Brewers go with the 12 pitchers listed above when the NLDS begins.
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Yelich will now wear a C on his jersey, placing him in a small group of active major leaguers with that distinction. The timing also suggests the Brewers were deliberate about making sure the role fit the person, not just the rsum, and there was one requirement Yelich wanted met before he said yes to the honor. [Read more 🡒]
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Pat Murphy still made it clear the odds remain long, and the club has not framed this as a sure thing. Woodruff was originally expected to need surgery, so the fact that he has continued recovering without it has already changed the conversation, even if the next steps now matter more than ever. [Read more 🡒]