Milwaukee Brewers 2026 second-base preview: Turang anchors the depth chart
Brice turang’s strong finish to the 2025 season and his still-developing all-around profile have positioned him as the clear top option at second base for the Milwaukee roster entering 2026, and his multi-year team control makes his health and consistency immediate priorities for the club.
Turang's place at second base
The organization’s depth chart at second base is straightforward at the top: Brice Turang is the obvious choice and, given his age of 26 and four remaining years of team control, is expected to be a central figure for the position for the next several seasons. The piece frames Turang as probably the best second baseman in franchise history while noting a lingering question about a possible future move to shortstop.
What changed at the plate in 2025
Offensively, Turang made a noticeable leap last season. Over the first 104 games of 2025 he hit. 271/. 339/. 363, representing a modest but meaningful improvement from 2024 and an increase of 38 OPS points compared with the previous year. That steady improvement turned into a pronounced power surge in late summer: Turang hit 10 homers in August and another on September 1, and his 29-game August stretch produced a. 343/. 398/. 694 line. He finished the season at. 288/. 359/. 435, yielding a 121 OPS+ that ranked behind only two other second basemen who appeared in at least 100 games last season.
Defense and baserunning: a step back
While Turang’s bat made a large jump, his defense and baserunning dipped in 2025 relative to 2024. The downward movement in those facets prevented what would have been a true superstar season despite the offensive gains. The analysis notes that both elements still exist in Turang’s game, but the 2025 campaign represented a step back in those areas compared with his earlier defensive and baserunning profile.
Outlook and what to watch for 2026
Key near-term indicators to track are health, continuity in defensive and baserunning performance, and whether the late-season power surge can be sustained more broadly. If turang can replicate a season-level OPS in the neighborhood of the full-season. 794 mark discussed for 2025, combined with the higher baserunning and defensive levels seen in 2024, the player could reach genuinely elite value for the roster. That scenario is presented conditionally: if the offensive uptick holds and the other facets return, the overall profile becomes significantly more valuable. Conversely, a repeat of the defensive and baserunning declines would limit upside despite the offensive improvement.
Depth and developmental implications
Beyond the top of the depth chart, the piece stresses that as long as Turang remains healthy, there is limited cause for concern about second-base depth. The larger strategic question for the club is whether Turang remains at second base long-term or shifts to shortstop at some point, a possibility framed as the biggest question surrounding the position. For roster planning, Turang’s age and team control create a window in which his performance and positional fit will shape offseason and developmental decisions.
Key takeaways: Turang’s late-2025 surge changed the offensive narrative for the position, but defense and baserunning will determine whether the player’s overall trajectory can reach the highest levels in 2026.
