Brandon Lockridge to make Brewers opening day roster; Blake Perkins optioned

PHOENIX – Brandon Lockridge is on the team. In a spring when the Milwaukee Brewers roster picture has been fairly straightforward, the 29-year-old outfielder broke through from the outside of the 26-man opening day roster to the group the Brewers will line up with on March 26. The Brewers optioned center fielder Blake Perkins to Class AAA Nashville in a series of moves that dwindled the number of position players left in camp to 14.

Milwaukee will carry 13 position players in the regular season, and non-roster invite Reese McGuire is the clear odd man out with two other catchers in the mix. “Those are very difficult meetings, very difficult decisions,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “But ‘Perk’ is part of this thing.

You have to make some decisions to keep 13 [position players]. ” Lockridge forced the Brewers’ hand with his play this spring, batting . 314 with four homers and a 1.

128 OPS while Perkins had a . 666 OPS. But it’s as much about the underneath signs of Lockridge’s play as it is about spring stats – which, when you boil it down, are ultimately meaningless.