The Milwaukee Brewers could be without All-Star left fielder Christian Yelich for quite some time. The 2018 National League MVP was placed on the 10-day injured list (IL) with a lower back injury. In the coming days, Yelich is going to see a spine specialist to help determine what his best course of action will be. Season-ending surgery is not off the table.
For the moment, Yelich has been replaced on the Major League roster by catcher Gary Sanchez, who just came off of the injured list himself. His absence also will free up more playing time for the young rookies and sophomore outfielders that have been competing for playing time all season long.
Whether any of those players will be able to come close to matching Yelich’s production in the lineup remains to be seen.
Milwaukee Brewers Rookie Outfielder Jackson Chourio Is Having a Solid Season
Since the Brewers returned for the All-Star Break, Yelich had been the club’s designated hitter. Taking his place in left field has been rookie phenom Jackson Chourio. After a slow start to the season, Chourio has been scorching hot.
After going 0-2 on June 1, Chourio was hitting .207/.251/.323. Fans were calling on him to be demoted, but manager Pat Murphy stated that the young 20-year-old was going to be allowed to play through his struggles.
Murphy’s patience with Chourio has paid off. Since that June 2, the rookie outfielder is hitting .316/.366/.496 in 39 games played.
His slash line for the season has improved to .253/.301/.399.
Milwaukee Brewers Rookie Outfielder Jackson Chourio Is the 3rd Youngest Player in MLB History with 10 Home Runs and 10 Stolen Bases
In addition to hitting .253/.301/.399, Chourio has also hit 10 home runs with 40 RBI and 12 stolen bases. He is also the third-youngest player in MLB history to have at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a season. The two players younger than him were Ken Griffey Jr. and Bryce Harper.
Both were 19 years old when they achieved the feat.
As a rookie in 1989, Griffey hit .264/.329/.420 with 16 home runs, 61 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. In 2012, Harper hit .270/.340/.477 with 22 home runs, 59 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.
Now that Yelich may be out for the season, Chourio will almost certainly get more playing time. If he keeps on hitting the way he has over the last couple of months, he could surpass both Griffey and Harper’s rookie season numbers.
Harper, by the way, won the National League Rookie of the Year in 2012.
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