Brewers' injury luck worsens as key 2025 trade acquisition lands on IL

It's been just two days since the Milwaukee Brewers announced that star outfielder Jackson Chourio would start the 2026 season on the injured list with a hairline fracture in his left hand. The news, which surfaced just hours before Milwaukee kicked off the regular season with a 14-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox, put a slight damper on what was otherwise a great day for the Brewers.

On Thursday, Chourio's replacement in left field, Jake Bauers, hit a towering three-run homer after a scorching hot spring season, alleviating some of the concerns that Brewers fans held about losing the third-year budding superstar for the first few weeks of the 2026 season. However, just 48 hours later, those concerns are back, after the Brewers announced that another one of their lineup regulars has hit the injured list with a hand injury.

As announced by the team earlier today, 2025 trade acquisition Andrew Vaughn is set to undergo surgery on a broken hamate bone in his left hand and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. Replacing Vaughn on the active roster is MLB Pipeline's No. 8-ranked Brewers prospect Jeferson Quero. Quero, a 23-year-old catcher who signed with the Brewers as an international free agent back in 2019, is set to make his MLB debut.

Andrew Vaughn lands on IL with broken hamate bone in left hand, set to miss 4-6 weeks

Ahead of Saturday night's game against the White Sox, Vaughn caught up with reporters to discuss his injury. Vaughn noted that the injury occurred during his first at-bat of Thursday's Opening Day game. The Brewers' first baseman, who was jammed on a high, inside fastball that he muscled to shortstop in said at-bat, told reporters that, "the first at-bat seemed a little different to me." Vaughn attributed the increased adrenaline of Opening Day to his ability to play through the injury and collect three more at-bats in the game, one of which was an RBI single, before he was pulled for a pinch runner in the sixth inning.

Vaughn felt discomfort in his hand during the off-day yesterday, and imaging revealed a broken hamate bone in his left hand. Unfortunately, it's been a common injury for players around MLB this year. Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets, and Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles all suffered broken hamate bones during Spring Training this year. The good news is that both Carroll and Lindor were back to game action in just five weeks after undergoing surgery, and Holliday is nearing his return, so there's hope that the 4-6 week estimated absence Vaughn is facing will be closer to four weeks than six.

Meanwhile, the silver lining of the tough injury news for the Brewers is that Quero's long-awaited MLB debut is now on the near horizon. Though the talented young catcher isn't in tonight's lineup, it wouldn't be surprising to see him suit up for the Brewers tomorrow afternoon with left-hander Anthony Kay on the bump for the White Sox.

Quero's debut would have come much sooner, but the former No. 1-ranked prospect in the Brewers' system suffered a major shoulder injury back in 2024, and it stalled his development. The lingering concern is that Quero's once elite arm strength is not what it used to be, but the 23-year-old told reporters earlier today that he "feels 100%" though it took him two years to reach that point. Quero brings a powerful right-handed bat to a Brewers lineup that has lost two righty sluggers to injuries in the last 48 hours.

As for how the Brewers will handle Vaughn's absence at first base, expect Jake Bauers or "Rake Bauers" as Vaughn referred to him in his pregame meeting with the media, to be the everyday first baseman against right-handers for the forseeable future. Against lefties, the Brewers are set to roll out veteran catcher Gary Sánchez at the cold corner. Manager Pat Murphy confirmed as such in his pregame press conference saying Gary is the primary first baseman against southpaws "as it currently stands."

It's no doubt a tough blow for the Brewers' offense, who are now without two of their top five hitters in the batting order. After suffering injury after injury to their pitching staff early last year, it appears the injury bug is targeting the Brewers' position players this year. It will be a matter of weathering the storm for the next few weeks for the Brewers, but if Thursday's season opener is any indication, Milwaukee has plenty of contributors who can keep the offense afloat.