PHOENIX – At least for 2026, we know that Luis Rengifo is going to be the Milwaukee Brewers’ starting third baseman.
The switch-hitting, 28-year-old, eighth-year veteran is expected to officially join the team early this week, roughly a week after Caleb Durbin was unexpectedly traded to the Boston Red Sox in a move that, at least temporarily, appeared to leave a gaping hole at the hot corner.
But Rengifo’s deal most likely will be for only one year. What happens at the position once he moves on?
The good news for the Brewers is they appear well-positioned for the long term with two of their last three top picks in the draft – Andrew Fischer (2025) and Brock Wilken (2023) – ascending through the minor leagues.
Fischer, 21, is the fiery University of Tennessee star who hit 25 homers and reached base in all 65 of the Volunteers’ games in his lone season playing in Knoxville.
He actually replaced 2024 Brewers first-round pick Blake Burke at first base in college but that move came more out of necessity for Tennessee, which had a wealth of options at third, shortstop and second base but none at first.
“In the fall (of 2024), when he was playing on the infield for us, he was going to be our third baseman,” recounted Tony Vitello, Fischer’s coach at Tennessee who this past offseason was hired as San Francisco Giants manager.
“Turns out, we didn’t have an answer at first. Out of necessity [Fischer moved]. It was a testament to him being a great teammate. He took that role, ran with it and got a lot better at first. But I think his passion is over at third base.”
A left-handed hitter, Fischer would appear to be a fit offensively in that he’s projected to be a run producer with the potential to hit 20 or more homers per season. While he went deep only once in 19 games at Class High A Wisconsin last season after signing for $3.5 million, he did hit .311 with 10 runs batted in and posted an on-base plus slugging of .848.
Defensively, Fischer appears athletic enough to stick at third, and in a very small sample size he was flawless with the Timber Rattlers (1.000 fielding percentage in 129 innings). But as he advances levels – Fischer should be at Class AA Biloxi not too far into the season – the challenge will increase.
“Pro ball, third base seems to be a lot more way back,” Vitello said. “We’re positioned deeper, so it’s got to be a different-level type of arm. That would be the only thing for Fisch, is what does it look like with him playing way back there?”
Personality wise, “gamer” might be the best way to describe Fischer, who also had a penchant for delivering in key moments during his time at Tennessee.
“The first thing I think of every time I see him is, ‘This guy is the epitome of Jersey Shore.’ He is that,” Vitello said. “I joke about it, but he’s just incredibly comfortable in his own skin and that’s a big key to being a good baseball player. But it’s also something that makes him a big personality.
“Our fans fell in love with him because he would do stuff the normal person isn’t comfortable doing with the cameras and lights on him, but he’s got no shame and he’s in complete control of his game.
“If you watch him play you might put him in the cocky category. But behind the scenes you’ve got a guy that’s got a lot of grit to him, and there’s an awful lot of pride taken in preparation.”
Brock Wilken is ready to ascend
It was believed Wilken’s power and run-producing abilities would put him on the fast track to the majors when the Brewers drafted him 18th out of Wake Forest in 2023.
Hitting .285 with five homers, 29 RBI and an OPS of .887 in a 47-game stint that included a conclusion at Biloxi in 2023, Wilken did nothing to dispel that belief.
Serious injuries, however, derailed Wilken’s rise.
In April 2024, not long after impressing in his first major-league spring training, Wilken was hit in the face by a fastball and needed corrective surgery. He returned to play 108 games at Biloxi, hitting .199/17/51/.679, then capped his year off with a 23-game run in the Arizona Fall League.
Last year, Wilken dislocated the patella in his left knee in a freak accident while celebrating the Shuckers’ first-half title. He missed nine weeks but was able to return in late August and finished hitting .226/18/46/.876.
Wilken is back in major-league camp this spring, healthy and hoping to demonstrate he’s a candidate to get a shot at third base in the not-too-distant future.
A successful body of work at Class AAA Nashville would go a long way toward helping his cause, with a multitude of homers a perfect underscore.
“Just going out there and having fun competing again, and fully healthy,” Wilken said. “I hope that this year is my year. But with that being said, I’ve still got to go handle business and do what I’ve got to do.”
What about Jett Williams and Jesús Made?
Before the Rengifo signing, two other prospects were being mentioned as potentially getting looks at third base: Jett Williams, acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade, and Jesús Made, Milwaukee’s top prospect.
What was interesting about that was the fact both are considered to be natural shortstops with little in the way of experience at the hot corner.
Made played 12 games (93⅓ innings) there in his first professional experience in the Dominican Summer League in 2024, while Williams didn’t appear at the position even once in his 294-game career in the minors.
But with Rengifo and David Hamilton now on board, both Made and Williams are much more likely to see considerable time at shortstop and second base once starters Joey Ortiz (Team Mexico) and Brice Turang (Team USA) depart camp to begin preparations for the World Baseball Classic.
“I’m here to support the team and to play the position they roll me out at,” Made said. “I have the ability to play all different positions, and I’m very open to it. Shortstop is definitely my favorite position, but whatever the team needs from me I’m ready and open to do.”
Said Williams: “Playing third, second short – honestly, I don’t care where I play. Took some ground balls at third; pretty easy. Still on the left side of the diamond so it’s having different reads and stuff.”
Another prospect in his first major league camp with the Brewers is Luke Adams, who started 20 of his 64 games at Class AA Biloxi last season at third base.
He’s likely to see some time there during camp as well but physically might profile more as a first baseman.
David Hamilton is the likely backup
With Rengifo slated to be the Brewers’ primary third baseman, Hamilton is expected to serve as the backup there as well as at shortstop and second base.
Since breaking into the majors with Boston in 2023, the 28-year-old has logged almost all his time at second and shortstop with just 1⅓ innings at third.
Not that it matters to Milwaukee, which made Durbin its primary third baseman with great success in 2025 despite him playing the position infrequently at best in the minors.
“Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do,” Hamilton said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What does future of third base look like for Brewers? 4 observations
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
