Jake

Bauers

Bauers worked Emmet Sheehan for a two-out walk in the opening inning of this one, but he was left stranded there. He reached on another walk in the third inning and was the back end of a double steal with Luis Rengifo. Bauers then victimized River Ryan in the fifth inning, blasting a 390-foot (105.0 mph EV) solo shot that gave the Brewers a 2-1 lead. He has been having a terrific spring at the plate, slashing .529/.667/1.176 with three homers, nine RBI and three stolen bases in seven Cactus League contests. Don’t be surprised if he sees regular at-bats against right-handed pitching to start the season.

Bauers singled off of Michael Lorenzen in the first inning, stole second base and raced around to score on an RBI single off the bat of Luis Rengifo. After being plunked in the fourth inning, Bauers clobbered a 431-foot (105.1 mph EV) two-run shot off of Davison Palermo in the fifth inning that made it a 10-5 ballgame. With his two-hit attack, he’s now hitting a blistering .545 (6-for-11) with a homer, two RBI and two stolen bases to open the spring.

Bauers is battling Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins for playing time against right-handers in the Brewers outfield. Of course, he’d be in pretty good shape there if the battle was mostly about offense, but he’s a mediocre defensive left fielder going up against two plus center fielders. The Brewers can play Jackson Chourio in center if they want, but they’re probably rooting for Mitchell to step up. Bauers’ better path to playing time would be if Andrew Vaughn disappoints, setting up a potential platoon at first base.

Bauers was a candidate to be non-tendered after slashing just .235/.353/.399 with seven homers and 28 RBI in 218 plate appearances during the 2025 season, but the Brewers will bring him back for another year. He’ll get a nice raise over the $1.35 million that he took home in 2025. Look for Bauers to once again function in a reserve role for the Brewers where he’ll be deployed almost exclusively against right-handed pitching.

Blake Perkins’ defense in center was missed in the Game 2 defeat, but the Brewers would still rather bet on Bauers’ bat. They’re using the same lineup tonight that they did on Tuesday: Jackson Chourio (RF), Brice Turang (2B), William Contreras (C), Christian Yelich (DH), Andrew Vaughn (1B), Sal Frelick (CF), Caleb Durbin (3B), Bauers (LF) and Joey Ortiz (SS).

Brewers manager Pat Murphy is going to shake things up when they face Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto after his club was limited to just one run on two hits by Dodgers starter Blake Snell in Monday’s series opener. Bauers came off the bench to deliver a ground-rule double in the ninth inning against high-leverage reliever Roki Sasaki and will draw his second start of the postseason in this one. Here’s the full lineup: Jackson Chourio (RF), Brice Turang (2B), William Contreras (C), Christian Yelich (DH), Andrew Vaughn (1B), Sal Frelick (CF), Caleb Durbin (3B), Bauers (LF) and Joey Ortiz (SS).

Bauers took Andrew Kittridge deep on an opposite-field blast that got the Brewers to within a run. He had another chance to come up big with the bases loaded, but Brad Keller struck him out on a 97 mph fastball. Bauers could be back in the lineup for Game 4 on Thursday, but it’s just as likely Milwaukee will go with Andrew Vaughn in that contest.

Bauers knocked a base hit in the second inning, then took Mitch Keller deep for a two-run blast to put the Brewers on the board in the fourth before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth. The 29-year-old has his six homers with 23 RBI while slashing .205/.324/.363 across 173 plate appearances.

The Brewers hold a comfortable lead on the top spot in the National League, so there’s no reason to rush Yelich back into action here. They’re going to take it day-to-day and make sure that he’s feeling well enough to go as opposed to rushing him back and risking further aggravation. Jake Bauers will function in his place as the team’s designated hitter on Friday evening and will bat seventh against Johan Oviedo and the Pirates.

Bauers will take the place of the injured Joey Ortiz (hamstring) on the Brewers’ active roster. Before being sidelined on July 20 with an impingement in his left shoulder, the 29-year-old had been hitting .197/.318/.354 with five homers, 18 RBI and five stolen bases in his first 151 plate appearances on the season.