Brewers insider offers encouraging Jackson Chourio update fans have been waiting for

Milwaukee Brewers fans simply need some good news on the injury front. For the second consecutive season, the Brew Crew has been the victim of a string of early-season injuries that have hamstrung their roster during the first month of the season. Last year, it was injury after injury to the Brewers' starting rotation, leading to early-season call-ups and even a notable trade to help weather the storm.

This year, it's been the position player group that has been hit hardest by the injury bug. Just hours before the Brewers kicked off the 2026 season with an afternoon matchup against the Chicago White Sox back on March 26, rising star outfielder Jackson Chourio was placed on the injured list due to a hairline fracture in his left hand that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.

Before the Brew Crew played their second game of the season, 2025 midseason trade acquisition Andrew Vaughn, who was an important piece of the team's second-half surge, landed on the IL due to a broken hamate bone in his left hand. Then, on April 12, Christian Yelich was pulled from a game against the Washington Nationals in the fifth inning, due to a strain that the Brewers' veteran leader suffered in his left adductor (groin) muscle.

The string of injuries has left Milwaukee with a short-handed offense as they navigate the usual April growing pains of a new regular season. Despite managing to stay afloat, thanks to wins in five of their last six games after a disheartening six-game losing skid, Brewers fans are anxiously awaiting the return of their three key offensive contributors.

Thankfully, the good news is starting to pour in. As reported by MLB.com's Brewers beat reporter, Adam McCalvy, Chourio, who is expected to be the first one back from the IL, is set to hit on the field today for the first time since his placement on the injured list nearly one month ago.

Jackson Chourio on track to return to Brewers' lineup in early May

Hitting on the field is an important step in Chourio's recovery process. When the injury was announced in late March, the main concern from both Chourio and the Brewers' perspectives wasn't normal swings, but rather it was the check swings and awkward swings leading to unpredictable movements that were causing the pain.

It's a common theme among baseball injuries. When a perfect swing is executed and perfect contact results, you hardly feel anything at all, but foul balls off the label or a swing at a pitch that completely fools you is when problems arise. In Chourio's case, on-field batting practice is unlikely to cause many awkward swings or poor contact -- it's not as if the Brewers' coaches are carving up their players with nasty breaking balls in BP -- but the possibility for a check swing or uncomfortable contact is at least there, signifying that Chourio feels comfortable testing the limits of his hand fracture.

That Chourio is progressing, albeit at a slightly slower pace than the team initially projected, is encouraging. Hand injuries can be finicky and linger for longer than they're supposed to, but assuming all goes well, the Brewers' talented, young outfielder will be back in the lineup in early May.

Chourio still needs to build up to live at-bats, rather than simply batting practice, and will require a rehab stint in Triple-A, so perhaps the Brewers' home series against the New York Yankees from May 8-10 is a safe bet for when fans can expect to see the 22-year-old phenom back in Milwaukee's starting lineup.

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