Milwaukee Brewers fans are on edge despite the team’s win over the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday. Christian Yelich was scratched from the lineup due to a sore back. It’s a dreaded update for the Brewers faithful after Yelich underwent season-ending back surgery last year.
The former MVP has been dealing with pain in his back since the Arizona Diamondbacks series, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak. Yelich will remain out of the lineup for Thursday’s finale against Philly.
The Brewers anticipate Yelich returning for the upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rosiak added that the team “appears confident” the three-time All-Star will be able to play the rest of the season.
Brewers believe Christian Yelich will overcome back injury
Yelich has bounced back from surgery with his best year since 2019, when he finished second in NL MVP voting. The 13th-year veteran has 27 home runs, 92 RBI, 82 runs scored and 3.3 bWAR in 132 games.
Manager Pat Murphy said Yelich first hurt his back on a hustle double against Arizona on August 27. “He wanted to keep playing because he loves the guys and wants to represent every day and post every day so they get in the habit of posting every day,” Murphy said, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.
Pat Murphy cited this hustle double against the D-backs as when Christian Yelich first felt something in his back. "He wanted to keep playing because he loves the guys and wants to represent every day and post every day so they get in the habit of posting every day." pic.twitter.com/OEKk973TpE
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 4, 2025
Yelich has come through in the clutch time and again during the Brewers’ historic season. Milwaukee put together a remarkable run that allowed the team to overtake the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central.
Despite cooling off a bit in August, the Brewers still own the best record in baseball. Milwaukee also remains six games ahead of the Cubs in the division.
The team got off to a strong start in the series opener against the Phillies. Milwaukee chased Taijuan Walker from the game, piling on five runs in four innings. However, Philadelphia overcame the Brewers’ early lead, battling back to a 10-8 victory.
On Wednesday, Milwaukee evened the series without Yelich in the lineup. The Brewers did most of their damage in the first inning. The team jumped out to a 5-0 advantage and pummeled starter Aaron Nola for six runs on six hits in five innings.
Jose Quintana delivered his eighth quality start of the season allowing three runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings. The Brewers’ bullpen kept Philadelphia off the board the rest of the way as Milwaukee won 6-3.
