Christian Yelich’s roaring start to 2026 has hit a roadblock.
The Brewers designated hitter was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain, though the expectation is that he will have a “mid- to late-May return,” according to MLB.com. The outlet reported that Yelich’s tests showed “fluid” in the area of the injury.
The 2018 National League MVP exited Sunday’s game against the Nationals after two at-bats with the issue. Outfielder Greg Jones was recalled Tuesday from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
The 34-year-old Yelich was on a tear through his first 15 games with a .314/.375/.451 slash line with four extra-base hits and 10 RBIs. His .826 OPS ranked third among qualified players on the Brewers.
“I’m not going to put a timeline on it,” Yelich, who felt “weird” after running the bases in the first inning last game, told reporters Tuesday. “Just going to try to attack the rehab as good as I can and get back out as soon as possible.”
On top of the rough news for Yelich, the Brewers are also still without one of their top outfielders in Jackson Chourio, who was put on the IL before opening day with a fracture in his left hand. Now, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chourio, whose tests last week showed his injury was improving, is not expected back with the team until early May.
Chourio, 22, is one of the game’s bright young stars and has hit 21 home runs in each of his first two big league seasons. Without both Chourio and Yelich in the lineup, the Brewers have some significant holes as they look for their fourth straight NL Central title.
Milwaukee is off to an 8-7 start and begins a three-game series with the defending American League champion Blue Jays on Tuesday.