The Milwaukee Brewers, even after losing manager Craig Counsell and trading ace Corbin Burnes, have been able to enjoy a fantastic season to this point.
Their 58-43 record leads the NL Central with a five-game cushion over the St. Louis Cardinals, and they have been rock-solid with limited resources as they usually are.
A big reason behind their resounding success has been star outfielder Christian Yelich, who is tenth in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in the National League with 3.0.
A new challenge is ahead for the Brew Crew: continue to win games consistently without Yelich in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
“Christian Yelich lands on the IL with a lower back injury for the second time this season,” Talkin’ Baseball tweeted.
Christian Yelich lands on the IL with a lower back injury for the second time this season pic.twitter.com/opGnawrgiA
Yelich has been prone to back issues in recent years: it’s something he will probably have to deal with from time to time for the rest of his career.
The diagnosis, to be precise, is lower back inflammation.
The former NL MVP was removed from Tuesday’s win over the Chicago Cubs when the back issue appeared.
Reports indicate he will be visiting with a specialist in the coming days, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Christian Yelich is headed to the IL. He will see a specialist in coming days to determine what’s next.
“Go from there as far as what’s gonna be the best for the near future and into the future. A couple different discussions I think that need to be had.”
As a result, the player doesn’t know how long he will be sidelined: it will all depend on what the specialist says.
The Brewers lineup is losing a highly productive hitter, one that has put a .315/.406/.504 line with 11 home runs and a .909 OPS this season.
Milwaukee has a sizable lead in its division, but the Cards and the Pittsburgh Pirates are coming.
There is a chance they go into the trade market to bring in a slugger to replace Yelich.