Brewers Make a Decision on Christian Yelich

Yelich missed nearly four weeks with a left groin strain he suffered against the Washington Nationals on April 12. It was a major loss for Milwaukee, which also played without Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn during that stretch.

Tonight marks the first time all season the Brewers will have all three players healthy together. Along with William Contreras and Brice Turang, Milwaukee’s lineup has the pieces to make a run at the banged-up Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central. The Brewers currently sit 3.5 games back.

Before the injury, Yelich thrived at the plate, hitting .314 with a .375 OBP and an .826 OPS across 51 at-bats. His presence changes the entire dynamic of Milwaukee’s lineup and how opposing pitchers attack it.

Due to his injury history, Yelich has primarily served as Milwaukee’s designated hitter when healthy. While he was sidelined, Gary Sánchez handled most of the DH duties and performed well, hitting five home runs with an .800 OPS.

Sánchez will now likely see most of his playing time when either Contreras or Yelich gets a day off.

As for Black, he will have to wait for another opportunity before getting recalled. The former top prospect performed well in limited action, hitting .333 with an .838 OPS across 27 at-bats.

Yelich will return to the lineup tonight as the Brewers open a marquee series against the San Diego Padres. Brandon Sproat will take the mound for Game 1, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT.