What Comes Next for Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers?

CHICAGO — How the Milwaukee Brewers approach the upcoming MLB trade deadline may have changed dramatically on Wednesday morning.

Perhaps overshadowing the 1-0 win by the Milwaukee Brewers over the host Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night was a worry that All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich was once again experiencing back issues. Having been pulled from the game for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, Yelich’s status was deemed “concerning” by Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy after the victory.

That concern turned into a reality on Wednesday before the Cubs and Brewers met for the final game of a three-game series between the two bitter National League Central rivals. Yelich was officially placed on the 10-day injured list with what was termed “lower back inflammation,” but the impact on the division-leading Brewers could be much longer than that as the 32-year-old Yelich hinted at the potential of surgery when he met with reporters inside the Milwaukee clubhouse.

“Everybody plays through stuff, but sometimes you just can’t,” said Yelich, who will meet with a spine specialist to discuss next steps on Thursday. “That’s kind of where we’re at, at this point. Your body won’t cooperate with you.”

This isn’t the first time this season that Yelich’s back has landed him on the injured list, missing time in April and May. Yelich’s back has caused him issues dating back to the 2019 campaign, sending him to the injured list 11 different times.

So what does this mean for Yelich?

Right now, that’s the biggest question heading into Thursday’s appointment with the spine specialist. There is no doubt that Yelich’s back is keeping him from reaching anywhere near his MVP form from the 2018 season. He was mired in a 3-for-22 slump over his last seven games before being shelved once again.

The best-case scenario for Yelich and the Brewers could be viewed from two different angles. The first is that Yelich finds some relief in the coming days and can return to the Milwaukee lineup and be effective for the stretch run of the regular season and beyond. The second is that Yelich opts for season-ending surgery, setting him up for a pain-free (or pain-lessened) run at success in 2025.

Either way, Yelich is going to once again miss time and his .326/.412/.521 slash line with 11 home runs in 302 plate appearances before the All-Star break will be missed.

So what does this mean for the Brewers?

If there was any thought about Milwaukee potentially trading away some of their young outfielders at the MLB trade deadline to plug other gaps on the team (starting pitching being likely the primary focus), that thought may have vanished. Milwaukee will need its outfield depth (and potential bats) without Yelich available.

“It’s a huge loss, and we’ve had some huge losses this year,” Murphy said before Wednesday’s game. “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.”

Yelich has logged 26 games at designated hitter, so there is an opening in the lineup there as well as in the outfield. William Contreras was Milwaukee’s designated hitter on Wednesday, and expect the DH slot to rotate more in Yelich’s absence.

Milwaukee will have to find a way to replace Yelich’s production (as our own Eric Treuden detailed during Yelich’s hot streak earlier this season), and adding another bat to the lineup (especially at the DH spot) could boost the Brewers’ postseason hopes. However, if the team is going to choose between pitching and filling in for Yelich, look for Milwaukee to make its push on the mound rather than at the plate.

The Brewers and Yelich will know much more on Thursday, and what comes out of that medical appointment could have ramifications for Milwaukee for not only this season, but the near future as well.