The Milwaukee Brewers have placed outfielder Christian Yelich on the injured list because of a strained lower back, the team announced on Tuesday. Yelich's IL stint is backdated to April 13 -- teams are allowed to retroactively apply an IL stint for up to 72 hours, provided that the player has not appeared in a game during that period.
In a corresponding move, the Brewers recalled utility player Owen Miller from Triple-A Nashville.
Yelich, 32, had started off the new season hot. In 15 games, he batted .333/.422/.744 (217 OPS+) with five home runs, 11 RBI, and two stolen bases. His contributions had been worth an estimated 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference. Yelich is, of course, a two-time All-Star who won the 2018 National League Most Valuable Player Award and then finished second in the voting for the 2019 Award. For his career, he has a 129 OPS+.
Yelich's absence means the Brewers will have to get by with an outfield situation that includes rookie Jackson Chourio, Blake Perkins, Sal Frelick, and recently recalled Joey Wiemer. The Brewers are also currently without outfielder Garrett Mitchell, who fractured his hand ahead of Opening Day.
Nevertheless, the Brewers rank fourth in the majors in runs scored this season, trailing only the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves. Milwaukee is also tied for second in home runs and third in stolen bases.
The Brewers enter Tuesday with a 10-5 mark on the year, good for first place in the National League Central. They'll continue their three-game series with the San Diego Padres on both Tuesday and Wednesday before hitting the road for a seven-game trip that involves intradivisional stops versus the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.
