CHICAGO – Christian Yelich’s resurgent season has been put on pause thanks to a recurring back issue that sent the Milwaukee Brewers’ All-Star outfielder and National League leader in batting average and on-base percentage to the injured list for the second time this season.
Christian Yelich’s Breakout Season On Hold After Latest Back Issues
Milwaukee placed Yelich on the IL Wednesday morning after having to pull him for a pinch hitter late in a 1-0 victory over the Cubs Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.
“It’s been feeling pretty bad for a few days,” Yelich said. “Just trying to figure out how to get through it and realized I couldn’t and can’t and I was doing nobody any good out there so I kind of just decided there were big at-bats late in the game and I was definitely not the right person to do that.
“Being stubborn and going out there wasn’t going to do anyone any good.”
Despite missing 20 games earlier this season with back problems, Yelich began the day leading the National League in batting average (.315) and on-base percentage (.406) to go along with 11 home runs, 21 stolen bases and a .910 OPS. He was a big reason the Brewers began the day with a five-game lead over the rest of the NL Central.
“That’s a big blow,” manager Pat Murphy said. “I don’t know if he’s leading baseball in hitting or whatever, but he’s been an offensive machine. The attitude he brings. It’s a huge loss and hopefully we can get him back. He tried like heck to play injured. It’s been going on for a while now. Hopefully we can get him back.”
Whether or not that happens remains to be seen. While previous back issues have focused primary on rest, recovery and regaining strength and stability, Yelich took a more ominous tone when discussing the injury on Wednesday.
Yelich Timeline
He’s already undergone back imaging and is scheduled to meet with a specialist in Milwaukee on Thursday.
“I don’t really want to get into the specifics of it,” Yelich said. (It’s) not great, that’s for sure.
“We’ll have to see what’s going on.”
The severity of Yelich’s injury could impact general manager Matt Arnold’s plans for the trade deadline. The deadline is now just one week away. The Brewers were expected to focus primarily on bolstering their pitching staff, primarily their starting rotation, but despite a bumper crop of talented outfield opens already on the roster, Arnold may need to be on the hunt for a bat as well should Yelich need to miss significant time.
That, of course, is easier said than done.
“What do you suggest we do, go get Vlad Jr.?,” Murphy said. “I mean, for what Yeli does for this lineup and this clubhouse, I don’t know there’s too many players who can replace him. I mean that. He’s got a special niche here with us. It’s a huge loss, and we’ve had some huge losses this year. I can name their names if you would like me to repeat the list. But this is huge, no matter how serious. Whatever number of games we lose him for, it’s serious.”
While Milwaukee lost one valuable bat Wednesday, it did gain another. After Yelich was placed on the IL, the Brewers reinstated catcher Gary Sanchez from the injured list.
Sanchez’s return and Yelich’s injury allows the Brewers to keep catcher Eric Haase on the roster. That gives Murphy the ability to use either in the designated hitter spot when not spelling William Contreras behind the plate with Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Blake Perkins covering the outfield.
Main Photo Credits: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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