Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins has been sidelined ever since injuring his hamstring on May 13, but manager Pat Murphy provided a rather optimistic update on his slugger.
Murphy said that Hoskins may actually have a chance to play in the Brewers' series with the Chicago White Sox this weekend, via Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Murphy added that there are still some determinations to be made, but that Hoskins is trending well.
Getting Hoskins back would be absolutely huge for Milwaukee.
Prior to getting injured, Hoskins was slashing .233/.340/.474 with nine home runs and 27 RBI over 156 plate appearances. He is a massive power bat in the Brewers' lineup and still leads the club in long balls in spite of not having played in two-and-a-half weeks.
Still, even with Hoskins out, Milwaukee hasn't missed a beat. The Brewers are 33-23 and sit five games in front of the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.
The Brewers' offense has been surging
The Brewers have one of the better offenses in baseball this season.
Milwaukee ranks sixth in batting average, fourth in OPS, seventh in home runs and fourth in runs scored in 2024, and that's without its best power hitter in Hoskins.
All of that offensive production is thanks much in part to catcher William Contreras, who is slashing .323/.394/.509 with eight homers and 43 RBI. Christian Yelich's return has also been pivotal, as the resurgent outfielder boasts a slash line of .306/.390/.546 with six long balls and 22 RBI across 124 trips to the dish. Plus, third baseman Joey Ortiz boasts an .875 OPS.
Couple that with some solid pitching, and it's no surprise that the Brewers are in first place in their division.
Of course, Milwaukee has had plenty of regular-season success since 2018. It just has not translated into much playoff harmony.
Since 2018, the Brewers have made five postseason appearances, but they have only made it to the NLCS once during that span. That came in 2018, when Milwaukee ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
Last year, the Brewers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card Round.
Could things finally be different this time around?
Milwaukee certainly has the pieces offensively, especially if Yelich continues to hit this well. Plus, if Hoskins can make his way back and stay healthy, the Brewers will become that much more dangerous. After all, Hoskins owns a lifetime .844 OPS and has smashed 30 or more home runs twice in his career.
Hoskins signed with Milwaukee this past January after missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. His best campaign with the Phillies came in 2018, when he slashed .246/.354/.496 with 34 dingers and 96 RBI through 660 plate appearances.
The 31-year-old has never been one to challenge for a batting title, as he owns a lifetime average of .242. However, his ability to draw walks and hit for power makes up for it. As a matter of fact, Hoskins led the National League with 116 walks back in 2019.
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