Brewers outfielder’s return timeline pushed back after undergoing knee surgery

Ever since the Milwaukee Brewers endured much of the first month and a half of the 2026 season without key offensive contributors Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, and Christian Yelich, their position player group (knock on wood) has remained very healthy. In fact, since Chourio and Vaughn both returned to the lineup back on May 4, the Brewers have only placed one position player on the injured list, outfielder Brandon Lockridge.

Lockridge suffered a scary knee injury back on May 8 in a game against the New York Yankees at American Family Field. In pursuit of a fly ball down the left field line, Lockridge ended up sliding into the corner of the low wall in foul territory. The padding on said wall doesn't extend all the way down to the dirt, so Lockridge crashed his right knee into a concrete corner which caused a deep laceration and bone bruise.

Initial imaging showed that while Lockridge would certainly be away from the field for at least a few weeks, no structural damage to his knee had occurred. His rehab process was off to a great start earlier this month, and the Brewers were encouraged that he would return to the roster either in late June or early July.

However, just yesterday, the team announced that while Lockridge was performing game-like baseball activities as a part of his rehab process, the outfielder developed discomfort in his knee and underwent a new round of imaging. Said imaging revealed that a chondral flap had developed along the upper edge of his kneecap. A chondral flap is piece of cartilage that tears and partially lifts away from the bone which unsurprisingly causes pain and swelling.

Lockridge is undergoing surgery today to take care of the problem, and now, rather than return sometime in the next few days, the Brewers' outfielder is scheduled to return in late July.

Blake Perkins likely to see continued opportunities against southpaws as Brandon Lockridge's return gets pushed back

Lockridge saw plenty of playing time prior to his injury in large part due to the fact that Chourio, a fellow right-handed hitting outfielder, spent the first month of the season on the injured list. With a roster at full strength, Lockridge's role on the Brewers is the team's fourth outfielder, who starts against most opposing left-handed starting pitchers. Blake Perkins has filled the role while Lockridge has been on the IL.

The 29-year-old switch-hitting Perkins has had a rough season in 2026, with a .489 OPS at the plate to prove it. However, Perkins' numbers have been weighed down by his performance as a left-handed hitter. On the season, Perkins has a solid .671 OPS as a right-handed batter and a brutal .232 OPS when hitting from the left side of the plate. In 20 plate appearances as a right-handed hitter in the month of June, Perkins has three extra-base hits, an .826 OPS, and has struck out just three times.

Perkins' 2026 season as a whole certainly hasn't been what the Brewers were hoping to see from their versatile fourth outfielder, but manager Pat Murphy has found a way to still get value out of Perkins: limit his opportunities to only the right side of the plate. Since June 1, Perkins has just five plate appearances as a left-handed hitter, a strategy that's made easier for Murphy by the fact that he has three other left-handed hitting outfield options: Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Jake Bauers.

Lockridge's setback is certainly a tough development for the speedy outfielder, who was enjoying his most productive stretch at the big-league level at the time of his injury. However, given the fact that both Lockridge and Perkins are likely to see most of their opportunities against left-handed pitching, their comparable numbers against southpaws this season suggest that the Brewers aren't losing too much production by having Perkins fill the role in the meantime. In fact, Perkins' OPS against southpaws (.671) is higher than Lockridge's (.639) on the season. Lockridge's overall numbers certainly look better, and he's likely to regain the role of the Brewers' fourth outfielder upon his eventual return, but credit Murphy and Milwaukee's coaching staff for finding Perkins' strength and leaning into it.

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