For prospects rising through the Milwaukee Brewers’ farm system, and even established veterans on a rehab assignment, wearing lederhosen is a rite of passage. No, this isn’t some elaborate rookie hazing prank, though those still exist in various forms.Rather, it’s the result of Friday’s theme night at High-A Wisconsin, one in which the team normally known as the Timber Rattlers becomes the Brats as part of Bratoberfest, a play on Germany’s iconic Oktoberfest, while also paying homage to the state that’s home to one of the highest concentrations of residents with German ancestry.It just so happened that Abner Uribe, the Brewers’ flame-throwing reliever who is working his way back from a flexor strain, was in town on his rehab assignment, and images of his festive uniform went viral online.
Abner Uribe in a Brats Jersey, anyone? #Brewers pic.twitter.com/roZk3SQtyk
— Chris Mehring (@CMehring) August 29, 2026“Just to see him in the Bratober jersey is something that I thought caught a lot of people’s attention, so I think that’s what really blew it up,” said Chris Mehring, the Timber Rattlers’ radio announcer and director of media relations.
Indeed, it was the long levers on Uribe’s 6-foot-3 frame, decked in plaid, faux suspenders and dark yellow that caught the attention of those in the baseball community, bringing back memories of Robinson Canó wearing a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed uniform, or, even more recently, Zack Wheeler donning a jersey decked out in ribs.“Anytime that the major leaguers come down and they embrace it and they take part in it, it’s so much fun, and that’s what we’re all about in minor-league baseball,” Mehring said.In a serendipitous twist, Friday night’s starting catcher hailed from Germany. Yannic Walther, who was born in Heidelberg, signed with the club in 2022 and was one of multiple German players to sign with an MLB organization that year. To date, 45 players with ties to Germany have taken an at-bat in a major-league game. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Max Kepler (born in Berlin) and the Seattle Mariners’ Brendan Donovan (born in Würzburg) serve as the only active German-born players on an MLB roster.“There were definitely questions in school,” Walther said of growing up in Germany as a competitive baseball player in a previous interview. “My schoolmates would ask me: ‘What are you doing?’ ‘What is that?’ It was something special, and people kept asking.”While the jersey is fit for the rafters of American Family Field, it’s actually being auctioned off, along with other players’ game-worn Brats jerseys. The proceeds will go to Timber Rattlers Give Back, the club’s nonprofit arm that provides charitable support to a variety of local causes. With more than 24 hours to go, Uribe’s jersey is sitting at $505 in bids and counting.Uribe’s appearance resulted in a surge of orders for the Bratoberfest jersey. (Courtesy of Wisconsin Timber Rattlers)For those without $505 to drop on game-used lederhosen, the Timber Rattlers also sell it as merchandise. According to Mehring, the Brats apparel might not be available for long after Uribe’s appearance resulted in a surge of orders.It’s one of several theme nights that the Timber Rattlers and other minor-league affiliates hold throughout the season.“It’s part of the minor-league baseball experience for not just guys that are in the big leagues, but guys who might never make the big leagues,” Mehring said, “and it’s just a fun part for all of them.”
