Brewers' Gary Sánchez has unlocked a new skillset in 2026

TL;DR

In 2026, Brewers' Gary Sánchez has significantly improved his performance, contributing to the team's success. He boasts a .238 batting average, five home runs, and an impressive OPS of 1.048, showcasing newfound discipline at the plate.

Key points

Gary Sánchez is a backup catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2026
He has a batting average of .238 with five home runs and 11 RBIs
Sánchez's OPS is 1.048, indicating strong offensive performance
He has improved his plate discipline, taking 13 walks in 42 at-bats
The Brewers are currently ranked No. 8 in power rankings

Milwaukee BrewersGary SánchezNew York Yankees

Brewers' Gary Sánchez has unlocked a new skillset in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Milwaukee Brewers are off to a great start in 2026, and it can be thanks to their backup catcher. Gary Sánchez, the former New York Yankees catcher, now turned journeyman around Major League Baseball, has been fantastic thus far.

Bleacher Report named him as the newcomer that has contributed the most to the Brewers, and helped keep them in the top 10 of the power ranking. Coming in at No. 8, they moved down a few spots from last week.

With a batting average of .238, that might not seem all that impressive. But, if you follow down the stat line, this is where it gets interesting. With five home runs and 11 runs batted in, Sánchez's OPS is a staggering 1.048.

Even further, Sánchez has learned some discipline at the plate to go along with the power. In 42 at-bats, he has taken 13 walks to first base. When looking at his previous tenure with Milwaukee, he had 27 walks in 89 games back in 2024.

The Brewers are in a heated race in the National League Central. At 12-9, they sit at the bottom of the division, but are only two games back of the Cincinnati Reds for the lead. Sánchez has to continue to be a big part of their success.

There is still a long season to go, but for now, Sánchez has evolved his game and is entering a new stage of his career. The power is still there, but with a pedigree to get on base, it will create more chances of scoring runs.