Following the buzz, or more so the belated fizzle of the Milwaukee Brewers’ last-minute trades, fans got some bad news as well. Per beat reporter Curt Hogg, outfielder Jackson Chourio is heading to the injured list after he strained his hamstring on the bases Tuesday.
This unhappy update leaves the lineup without one of its primary power sources. The outfield has no real replacement. Center fielder Blake Perkins will likely fill in, but he isn’t an everyday starter. The only position player the Brewers acquired at the deadline is rookie Brandon Lockridge, from the Padres for Nestor Cortes.
In light of this development, their failure to add either major-league outfield depth or power of any kind becomes even more frustrating. Doubt Milwaukee magic at personal peril, but the team may be due for a short-term skid while Chourio is sidelined.
Milwaukee Brewers roster has few places to turn in Chourio’s absence
Of course, losing Rhys Hoskins to a thumb injury seemed like a much bigger deal before Andrew Vaughn stepped up. Maybe something similar will happen in Chourio’s case, but that’s asking a lot. So far this season, he’s hit 17 homeruns with 67 RBIs while slashing .276/.311/.474. He also has 18 steals.
It probably won’t be Lockridge to fill Chourio’s shoes. Useful mainly for his speed, the 28-year-old has registered a .519 OPS this year in 47 games (88 at bats).
Unfortunately, Perkins isn’t a good candidate either. He’s done well since returning from injury, going 7-26 with two doubles and a triple. A natural center fielder, whether starting or as a late-inning sub he eased the load on Chourio, who was able to move back to right.
But Perkins isn’t a power hitter and has a career .660 OPS. He’s there for his defense, not his bat.
Suboptimal increase of Christian Yelich outfield reps seems likely
The Brewers could try Christian Yelich in the green. Although he’s spent the bulk of his time at DH, he’s started 10 games in left this year. Putting Yelich in the field is hardly ideal, however – far from it. Not only does it risk injury to a guy who missed half of 2024, he isn’t good out there anymore. He hasn’t had a non-negative runs saved grade since 2019 (-1 runs so far in 2025).
Milwaukee may be forced to try him there more often, however, as they look to boost the offense with Chourio missing. Yelich and Andrew Vaughn are the only other power threats in the order. Occasionally, manager Pat Murphy may look to start both catchers, William Contreras and Danny Jansen, who has a low average but 11 homeruns, with one featuring at DH.
Neither Hoskins nor Bauers is expected back before late this month.
Yeah, it might have been wise to add something, anything in the way of power. That would be the case even without the Chourio news and especially if the Brewers already knew about his injury-list trajectory.
This group has been resilient, and they’ve given themselves a cushion by surging to a 64-44 record, a game up on Chicago in the division. Hopefully Chourio won’t miss more than the minimum. The deadline approach, however, has left the Brewers a thin margin of error.
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