Getty Christian Yelich.
The Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Christian Yelich is facing the possibility of season-ending back surgery, according to MLB.com and The Athletic.
Sports Illustrated described the possibility of a season-ending injury for Yelich as a “nightmare scenario” for the Brewers. SI described Yelich’s injury as a “nagging lower back injury.”
According to an article on MLB.com by Adam McCalvy, Yelich is the National League’s leading hitter, but the 32-year-old is suffering from “low back inflammation.” McCalvy is the Brewers beat writer for MLB.com.
Yelich has a batting average of .314 for the 2024 season, MLB.com reports. The Brewers are in first place in the NL Central division, according to MLB.com.
According to The Athletic, a property of The New York Times, Yelich will be examined in Milwaukee on July 25 and might have suffered a “season-ending surgery to correct a lower back condition that has plagued him for years.” The Athletic cited two anonymous sources for the report.
The Brewers put Yelich on their injured list on July 24, according to The Athletic, which noted that it’s possible “he simply will need rest.” However, The Athletic noted that back issues placed Yelich on the injured list four other times throughout his baseball career. Still, reported The Athletic, the problem has never resulted in surgery before. Whether that will be needed this time is still up in the air, according to MLB.com.
A Baseball Writer Called Christian Yelich’s Current Back Problems ‘More Ominous’ That Before
GettyChristian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers begin their 2023 season against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley.
According to McCalvy’s report for MLB.com, Yelich “already missed a month from mid-April into May following an earlier flare-up.”
But McCalvy described the July incident as more “ominous.”
Christian Yelich will see a spine specialist tomorrow to discuss next steps, including the possibility of season-ending back surgery.
McCalvy reported that Yelich is seeing a “back specialist” on July 25 to “discuss his options,” which range from “rest and treatment to season-ending surgery.”
“Everybody plays through stuff, but sometimes you just can’t,” Yelich said, according to McCalvy. “That’s kind of where we’re at at this point. Your body won’t cooperate with you. For me, aside from when I broke my knee, this has been the one thing that I’ve had to deal with . . . I’ve been able to play at a high level, but it’s one of those things that’s held me back a little, so that’s where it’s frustrating.”
Yelich added to McCalvy, “What are you going to do? But also, though, there’s a potential that I can finally get on the other side of this when all is said and done. We’ll see. It remains to be seen, I guess.”
A Trade Deadline Is Looming for the Milwaukee Brewers Amid Christian Yelich Concerns
Sports Illustrated reported that Yelich was placed on the 10-day injured list just days before the July 30 trade deadline.
If Yelich is out for the season, according to SI writer Stephen Mottram, the Brewers should consider acquiring Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena.
Mottram wrote that this could be a silver lining.
However, the possibility of losing Yelich would create problems for the Brewers.
“For what Yeli does for this lineup and this clubhouse, I don’t know (that) there’s too many players who can replace him. I mean that,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said on July 24, according to The Athletic. “He’s got a special niche here with us.”
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Christian Yelich’s Back Problems Are ‘Nightmare Scenario’ for Milwaukee Brewers: Report