Garrett Stallings is getting another big-league opportunity, and it is the latest reminder of how much depth can matter over a long baseball season. The 29-year-old rookie right-hander has reached the majors after a path that was slowed by the canceled 2020 minor league season and by a series of organization changes.
A delayed path to the majors
Stallings was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, but the next year brought an unusual setback when the minor league season was canceled. That stalled the early part of his professional career and pushed back the timeline on his development.
In December of 2020, Stallings was traded and joined the Baltimore Orioles organization. He made his debut in the minor leagues with Baltimore's farm system in 2021, giving him his first extended run in professional baseball after the lost season.
Another move, another chance
After three years in the Orioles' system, Stallings was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Thyago Viera in late May of 2024. That move put him in a new organization, but it also set him up for the kind of opportunity that often opens up when a club needs innings and flexibility across a 162-game season.
The Brewers have leaned on a wide group of players during the 2026 season, using 57 different players while sitting atop baseball's standings with 15 games left in the regular season. That kind of roster churn creates openings, and Stallings is the latest player to benefit from it.
What it means for Milwaukee
For the Brewers, Stallings represents the kind of depth-driven addition teams often need when the season stretches into its final weeks. For Stallings, it is another chance to stick in the big leagues after a path that was interrupted early and changed hands more than once.
His story is not a typical one, but that is part of what makes it notable. The opportunity is here now, and the Brewers are giving him a shot to turn a long journey into something more lasting.
