The vibes were good after the Brewers steamrolled to a 14-2 victory on Opening Day on Thursday, but these first 48 hours of their season have not been without challenges. After Jackson Chourio was unexpectedly placed on the injured list before the game on Thursday, the same has happened to Andrew Vaughn today. News broke this morning that top catching prospect Jeferson Quero was being called up to the big-league team, and after a couple hours of uncertainty about who he was replacing, it was revealed that Vaughn broke a hamate bone in his hand during Thursday’s season opener. He’ll have surgery on the hand and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
The choice of Quero is, on the surface, a little strange, but what it looks like is that Gary Sánchez will replace Vaughn as the right-handed side of Milwaukee’s first-base platoon. In those instances, Quero will either operate as William Contreras’s backup, or all three catchers could get into the lineup, presumably with Sánchez at first, Contreras as the DH, and Quero behind the plate. There’ve been questions about Quero’s readiness for prime time as his recovery from his early-2024 shoulder injury hasn’t gone exactly to plan, but it will be interesting, if nothing else, to get a look at him at the highest level. Whenever Quero first gets into a game (maybe against the lefty tomorrow?), it’ll be his major-league debut, which is exciting for a guy who is still considered by many as a top-100 prospect. (It will not, however, be a family affair if Quero debuts today or tomorrow: there is no relation between Jeferson and White Sox catcher Edgar Quero.)
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In any case, the Brewer offense, which walked ten times, hit two homers, and put up 14 runs on Thursday, will try to keep it rolling even with the loss of two prominent hitters. Today, the lineup will look almost like it did on Thursday, but with Bauers at first base in place of Vaughn and Brandon Lockridge, who pinch-ran for Vaughn Thursday, in from the start in left field. Bauers slides up in the order too, to fourth, while Lockridge will bat ninth. Otherwise, the starters are the same as they were in the opener: Joey Ortiz at shortstop, David Hamilton at third base, Sal Frelick in right field, Garrett Mitchell in center, and Christian Yelich as the designated hitter. Luis Rengifo will need to wait another day to get his first Brewers start.
On the mound for Milwaukee is one of last season’s breakout stars, Chad Patrick. Patrick had an effective stint in the rotation perhaps earlier than most expected as the Brewers dealt with depth issues amongst their starting group, but he performed well and had himself in the Rookie of the Year discussion for a while; after his 14th start on June 6th, Patrick had a 2.84 ERA. But a slight loss of momentum over the next month and, more critically, the improving health of the Brewers’ staff, left Patrick as the odd man out and he returned to Triple-A Nashville in early July. But he was back with the Brewers by the end of August, and played an important role down the stretch and especially in the postseason, where he allowed just two runs while striking out 11 in nine relief innings. He’ll get a chance to prove himself as a big part of this rotation’s future this season, and he’ll be looking to get off to a good start after he allowed 16 runs in 12 1/3 innings this spring. (Spring stats don’t really matter, but I’m sure it’d still feel good to have a nice outing today.)
Starting for the White Sox will be the righty Sean Burke. After 19 effective innings in a brief 2024 debut, Burke made 28 appearances (22 starts) in 2025 and worked to a near-league-average 4.22 ERA in 134 1/3 innings. But he allowed a lot of baserunners: Burke walked 4.2 batters per nine innings and had a 1.444 WHIP, so his 4.92 FIP was quite a bit uglier than his 4.22 ERA. Burke sits 94-95 with his fastball and also features a curveball and slider, and will occasionally work in a changeup.
There are a few shuffles in Chicago’s lineup compared to Thursday: Austin Hays and Miguel Vargas move to the bench, while Lenyn Sosa will be in from the start at DH and Tristan Peters in center, with Luisangel Acuña moving from CF to SS, Colson Montgomery from SS to 3B, and Andrew Benintendi from DH to LF. Reese McGuire, who caught for the Brewers this spring, will also be in the lineup as the catcher.
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First pitch is at 6:40. See it on Brewers TV (online or through your cable provider), and hear it on the Brewers Radio Network.
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