Milwaukee Brewers: How banged up is the outfield?

Christian Yelich is already on the DL with an oblique strain. Lorenzo Cain left the game early with a ‘slight quad injury’. How are the Milwaukee Brewers going to cope with injuries to their outfield?

Brett Phillips is back on the Major League roster. Christian Yelich is sidelined. Lorenzo Cain might need a day. The Milwaukee Brewers have a deep outfield, but is it deep enough to cope with the current concerns?

When is Christian Yelich returning?

Yelich is eligible to return from the disabled list on April 15th. It’s unclear if he’s far enough along in his recovery to return on that exact date. However, the Milwaukee Brewers training staff was hoping he would be ready by April 9th. If he isn’t back by the 15th, he probably won’t need more than a few days to return.

What happened to Lorenzo Cain?

Cain and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez got tangled up after Cain beat out an infield single. Both left them game. Cain suffered what the Milwaukee Brewers training staff is calling a ‘slight quad injury’.  There’s a chance he’ll return on Tuesday night, but he may need an extra day.

How long is Brett Phillips around for?

Good question. That depends on what the Milwaukee Brewers want to do when Christian Yelich is ready to return. If they send down one of their extra relievers, Phillips could stick for an extra week. If they decide to move on from their current ‘three-headed first base monster’, and DFA Jesus Aguilar, Phillips could stay. Also, if Cain or another outfielder gets hurt, Phillips could stay.

Is Ryan Braun hurt?

It’s easy to see why you’d be concerned, but no, Ryan Braun is not hurt…right now.

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The Milwaukee Brewers will have to piece together an outfield until Cain is ready to go. He could return on Tuesday night against the Cardinals, but there’s also a chance that he misses at least one game to play it safe. The Brewers are another injury away from having Eric Thames or Hernan Perez get a start or two in the outfield.

Having outfield depth is nice, but it’s also nice not having to use it. Here’s hoping Cain returns and Yelich makes a quick recovery.