The Athletic Training Staff Behind the First Championship in Franchise History
On October 28, 2026, the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to win the first World Series championship in the franchise’s 57-year history. It was a moment 57 years in the making, and it didn’t happen by accident. Championships are built in weight rooms, on training tables, and rehab pools long before they’re decided on a baseball diamond. Behind Milwaukee’s historic title is one of the most professional, forward-thinking athletic training programs in the game.
A Foundation Built Over Decades
No conversation about the Brewers’ medical program is complete without acknowledging Roger Caplinger, who served for years as the club’s Head Athletic Trainer and Medical Director. Caplinger helped establish the organizational standards and philosophy that continue to define how the Brewers approach player health and performance. His legacy is woven into every level of the organization.
Building on that foundation at the senior leadership level is Blair Bundy, Vice President of Player Health and Performance. Bundy oversees the Brewers’ entire health and performance infrastructure, setting the vision and direction for how the organization invests in its most valuable assets: its players.
Frank Neville, Director of Player Health, also plays a critical role operationalizing that vision, bridging the gap between organizational strategy and day-to-day player care across the system.
The Major League Staff
Athletic training staff after winning the NLCS (Photo courtesy of Nick Jensen, Milwaukee Brewers)
Leading the big league medical staff is Brad Epstein, Head Athletic Trainer, in his second season with Milwaukee. Epstein brings an exceptionally deep background in physical therapy, having spent 13 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and two years with the Tampa Bay Rays before joining the Brewers. He has represented USA Baseball internationally, serving as head athletic trainer for Team Israel at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and for Team Czech Republic at the 2017 WBC Qualifier. Epstein also served two terms as president of the Professional Baseball Physical Therapy Society and was a founding member of the organization. He holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Columbia University.
Lee Meyer brings a wealth of major league experience as Assistant Athletic Trainer. A former Head Athletic Trainer with the Miami Marlins, Meyer also spent five seasons with the Houston Astros, including three as Major League assistant athletic trainer, and seven seasons in the New York Yankees’ minor league system. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Licensed Athletic Trainer who also served as head athletic trainer for the Cardenales de Lara in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Nick Jensen is in his second year in a big league role. Jensen joined the Brewers organization in 2019 as Minor League Medical Coordinator, rose to Director of Player Health in 2024, a year in which the Brewers minor league medical staff was named Staff of the Year, and was promoted to the major league staff this season. He previously spent four seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization and worked with Team China at the 2025 WBC Qualifier.
Bryn Hester, Assistant Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist, is entering his third season with the club. A dual-credentialed clinician with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Harding University, Hester joined the organization in 2021 and was quickly promoted to Coordinator of Rehabilitation before earning his current role. His background in both athletic training and cognitive neuroscience gives the Brewers a uniquely well-rounded clinician on staff.
Strength Across the System
The Brewers’ commitment to player health doesn’t stop at the major league level. Andrew Staehling, Minor League Medical Coordinator, and Brett Walker, Minor League Rehab Coordinator, ensure that every player in the system, from rookie ball to Triple-A, receives the same standard of care and attention to detail that defines the organization’s approach.
David Yeager, Consultant in High Performance, has also made a huge impact on the club — he’s currently his 22nd season working with the organization. Yeager spent 13 seasons as a Major League assistant athletic trainer and has been part of staffs that received the Martin-Monahan Award, professional baseball’s highest honor for medical staffs, in both 2014 and 2015. He chairs the PBATS internship committee and holds a Doctorate in Education from A.T. Still University.
And behind those names are the countless minor league athletic trainers stationed throughout the Brewers system, many of whom have spent years quietly and diligently developing players, managing injuries, and preparing the next generation of Milwaukee Brewers. Their work often goes unrecognized outside the walls of the clubhouse, but the recent Staff of the Year recognition earned by the Brewers’ minor league medical staff tells the real story. Their fingerprints are all over this championship.
The People Behind the Champions
When the confetti fell in St. Petersburg on October 28, the celebration belonged to the players. But anyone who understands professional baseball knows championships are won in the months and years before the Fall Classic, in the training room, in the rehab pool, in the quiet conversations between an athletic trainer and a player fighting through pain at the end of a long season.
The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions. And the medical and performance staff that helped get them there, from Blair Bundy’s organizational vision to the minor league trainers who developed tomorrow’s stars, deserves to have its moment too.
That’s what PBATS has always stood for. And this championship belongs to them as much as anyone.