Ryan Braun will start at first base for Brewers on opening day

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ryan Braun gets his first taste of playing first base.

PHOENIX -- Experimentation is about to turn into implementation.

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell confirmed Friday that Ryan Braun will indeed serve as the primary starter at first base when the team faces left-handed pitching this season.

"It's a go," Counsell said.

That means that with the San Diego Padres throwing left-hander Clayton Richard in the teams' opening-day matchup at Petco Park on Thursday, Braun will be making his first regular-season appearance in the infield since his rookie year in 2007.

Braun has played 41 innings at first in the Cactus League, including eight starts, but he likely won't play there again until early next week when the Brewers play a two-game exhibition series in Houston against the Astros.

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Just two weeks ago Braun said he wasn't "remotely comfortable" at the position, but Counsell has confidence he can do the job. With more outfielders than spots after the late January acquisitions of Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, playing Braun part time at first base should help alleviate the logjam.

"He has the skills to play there," Counsell said. "I understand why he’s uncomfortable with the rest of the stuff. You’re not going to be comfortable with it until you’ve done it a whole bunch, and there’s still plays that haven’t happened.

"The way he thinks about the game, that makes him uncomfortable and that’s right. I can completely empathize with that. It makes sense, but he’s shown enough that we think he can be a contributor there."

Braun hasn't looked out of place defensively at first base this spring; in fact, he's made some athletic plays and shown some decent range. But it's the non-routine plays that will pop up that could be a problem until Braun logs more time at the position.

"It’s the funny plays that are the challenge – the little dribbler up the first-base line that the runner’s coming at you and the pitcher throws and you can’t see the ball," Counsell said. "How far can I get away from first base with a right-handed hitter up? A push bunt from a fast runner.

"It’s not the ground balls, it’s not the throws from infielders – it’s the stuff that you try to practice but it doesn’t happen that much, so it’s still a surprise when it happens.

"We’ve practiced it with him on a back field and said, ‘This could happen.’ But it’s better if it happens in the game."

With Braun now locked in along with Eric Thames at first base, the Brewers will need to get creative in order to keep Jesús Aguilar, who plays only first. Indications are they'll go with four starting pitchers to start the season, which would get Aguilar onto the roster until the Brewers need a fifth starter in the season's second week.

Aguilar, a former waiver claim, broke through in 2017 -- his first full season in the major leagues -- but has no minor-league options remaining and most likely would be claimed by another team if the Brewers cut him loose at any point.

Aguilar hit .265 with 16 home runs and 52 runs batted in over 133 games last year and was also Milwaukee's top pinch-hitter.

"We don’t have room to play everybody," Counsell said. "There will be injuries during the season. There will be guys that can’t play during times. That’s why we’re having this conversation – because there isn’t a clear spot for Jesús if Ryan plays first base. But could there be quickly? I don’t know what’s going to happen.

"We’ve got to make some decisions on our depth coming up here, but we’re still going to try to preserve it because it protects you in the case of something bad happening. For us, it’s one of the things we have to be good at. I think that’s one of the ways we hopefully can maybe gain a little bit of an advantage."