Milwaukee Brewers: Why is their Opening Day outfield not starting?

On Saturday afternoon, the Milwaukee Brewers were blown out, 12-to-3, by the Cincinnati Reds. The score isn’t the biggest concern. The current Brewers outfield should have fans worried.

All four outfielders who were on the Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day roster are either out, demoted, or hurt. They started an outfield of Keon Broxton, Hernan Perez, and Eric Thames on Saturday. When will the ‘real’ outfield return?

What’s the latest on Cain?

Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain is on the 10-day DL with a right groin strain. The good news here is that he’s already jogging and he sounds confident that he’ll return shortly. A return after the All-Star break makes the most sense here, but that’s assuming there isn’t a setback.

Why have Braun and Yelich been out?

Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich are both day-to-day with back injuries. It’s unclear when they’ll return to the lineup. The problem here is that the Milwaukee Brewers don’t have any off days until the All-Star break. They have simply allow Braun and Yelich to work their way back while still playing everyday. Of the two, it seems like Braun is the closest to a return.

How’s Santana doing in Colorado Springs?

Domingo Santana has a .267/.353/.467 slash line in four games played! He won’t return to the Milwaukee Brewers any time soon unless Yelich needs a DL stint. Santana will remain at Triple-A until he rediscovers the power that he showed in 2017.

Next: Why do the Brewers need to option Orlando Arcia?

While getting by with Broxton, Thames, and Perez is far from ideal, it’s not the end of the world as long as it doesn’t occur daily. If Braun or Yelich require a trip to the DL, the offense is in trouble. Aside from first baseman Jesus Aguilar, the outfield has done the majority of the heavy lifting for the offense while flashing leather in the field. The Milwaukee Brewers need all three healthy as soon as possible if they want to contend for the division title.