Milwaukee Brewers: Why did Christian Yelich exit early?

Milwaukee Brewers superstar Christian Yelich exited early on Sunday. Find out what happened right here…

Lower back discomfort did what most pitchers in the league couldn’t; take Christian Yelich out of the Milwaukee Brewers offense. Yelich ended the day 1-for-2 with a single.

Yelich appeared to tweak his back running the bases in the fifth inning. Replays showed Yelich rounding second, pulling up, and grabbing his back. He was replaced in the outfield by Ben Gamel.

How was Yelich doing coming in to Sunday?

Only having the best offensive April in Milwaukee Brewers history.

Yelich came in to Sunday with a .350/.459/.810 slash line in 28 games. He’s blasted 14 homers, scored 26 times, driven in 34 runs, and stolen six bases. He’s been Mr. Everything for the Brewers this year.

Will he need a IL stint?

That really depends on how he feels Monday morning, but no, it’s not likely at this point. The Milwaukee Brewers will likely have Yelich scheduled for an MRI or other tests after a night of rest. Back injuries can linger, but the injury doesn’t appear to be the ‘obvious time off’ type at this time.

If he needs time off, what happens?

Before or after the team at RtB spends a day or so crying?

Gamel is the obvious choice to takeover the every day starting role in right field. If the Milwaukee Brewers have to call someone up, it’s either Troy Stokes or Tyrone Taylor as they’re the only two other outfielders on the Milwaukee Brewers 40-man roster.

Stokes has an .807 OPS in Triple-A, but he’s also on the seven-day injured list.

Taylor has an .878 OPS in Triple-A and will likely get his first taste of Major League action if Yelich needs more than a few days off. Keep in mind, that’s a huge IF at this point.

It’s way too early to really speculate on Yelich’s status, but it’s always a shock to see the team’s top player require an early exit due to a physical ailment. The situation is worth monitoring, but it’s far too soon for any real concern.