The Milwaukee Brewers are tied for first place in the National League Central and saw the return of one of their best bats on Wednesday. 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich missed 24 games with a lower back strain before slotting back into the three-hole of Milwaukee's lineup Wednesday in a 6-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
Yelich was hitless in five at-bats and represented the tying run in the ninth inning before grounding out to end the game. It was the first time in 12 games this year he failed to reach base safely.
Yelich did not have a rehab assignment in the minors, making Wednesday his first time seeing live pitching in nearly four weeks. He put the ball in play four times but none left the infield. He knows it'll take some time to get his swing back to where he wants.
“It’s just getting back in the flow of it. You take that much time off and you’re playing catch-up a little bit,” Yelich said after the game, per Adam McCalvy. “I really didn’t feel that bad out there for how much time I missed. We’ll build on that.”
Yelich was red-hot to begin the season, posting a 1.166 OPS with five home runs and 11 RBIs through his first 11 games. It was a welcome sight for the Brewers given his inconsistency at the plate over the last four years.
Though they might not say it publicly, there has to be some concern about Yelich's back after this latest stint on the injured list. It was the first time he was on the mend since 2021 but the fifth time in his MLB career he's missed time with a back strain.
Tyler Black back to minors
The Brewers demoted their No. 4 prospect Tyler Black to make room for Yelich. Black, the No. 41 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, appeared in seven games for Milwaukee and reached base safely in five of them.
Black collected two hits in his MLB debut on April 30. He went 5-for-22 at the plate with a pair of doubles and stolen bases.
“I've had five or six people tell me to soak it in,” Black said upon his promotion. “Man, this is all you dream about. Walking up here and seeing [Turang], Sal and those guys, it was really cool.”
The Brewers selected Black with the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and he quickly rose through the ranks in the minor leagues. The corner infielder is hitting over .300 with Triple-A Nashville this season. We will likely see him back in the majors again in 2024.
Brewers set for stretch of divisional matchups
After losing franchise mainstays in manager Craig Counsell and top executive David Stearns last offseason, the Brewers have surprised some people with their impressive start to the season. Milwaukee has yet to have a losing record in 2024 and has held at least a share of first place in the NL Central for all but one day since April 12.
The Brewers dropped two of three to the Chicago Cubs last weekend, the first of what's expected to be four crucial series between the two in the race for the division crown. The NL Central rivals are tied for first place with the Brewers having two games in hand.
Milwaukee begins a key stretch of seven consecutive divisional games on Thursday when it welcomes the St. Louis Cardinals to town. Despite being a popular pick to win the division, the Cardinals sit in last place with a 15-21 record entering this four-game series.
The Brewers are a team full of young talent that should stay competitive throughout the season. Milwaukee might not be a lock to make the playoffs, but it'll remain in the fight into September if the young guns start to click.
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