Game Thread #2: Milwaukee Brewers (1-0) vs. Chicago White Sox (0-1)

Mar 16, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Chad Patrick (39) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images 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. ) 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.