How the returns of Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn will reshape the Brewers' lineup

The day that Milwaukee Brewers fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. After surviving essentially the entire 2026 season without two of their best hitters, Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn have officially been reinstated from the injured list and will be making their returns to the Brewers' lineup in tonight's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In order to make room for Chourio and Vaughn, the Brewers have designated Greg Jones, who is out of minor league options, for assignment and optioned Blake Perkins, who still has two option years remaining, to Triple-A.

It's a huge boost to the Brewers' offense. Chourio was expected to be one of, if not the best hitter in Milwaukee's lineup this year, as he builds upon his impressive back-to-back 20 homer/20 stolen base seasons to start his major league career. Still just 22 years old, expectations are understandably high for the Brewers' budding star as he makes his season debut tonight.

Meanwhile, Vaughn was one of the Brewers' best hitters during the second half of the 2025 season. After hitting a wall with the Chicago White Sox, the organization that drafted Vaughn with the 3rd overall pick in the 2019 draft, and subsequently being traded to the Brewers for Aaron Civale, Vaughn broke out in a major way in Milwaukee. In 64 games with the Crew last year, Vaughn slashed .308/.375/.493 with nine homers and 14 doubles. After attributing much of his success to a mindset change that occurred when he joined the Brewers, Vaughn too carries high expectations into the 2026 season.

While the additions of Chourio and Vaughn to a Brewers' offense that has held its own without three (when Christian Yelich's absence is included) key contributors, it does raise questions about how the lineup and playing time will be reshaped for the Crew going forward.

Chourio bats second in return to Brewers' lineup, Vaughn hits sixth as tonight's DH

Chourio's re-addition to the lineup is an easy one. In optioning Perkins to Triple-A and designating Jones for assignment, the Brewers will roll with a starting outfield group of Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick (from left to right), and rely on Brandon Lockridge as the fourth outfielder and fill-in against left-handed starters. The re-addition of Vaughn to the roster may also result in Jake Bauers seeing a few more opportunities in one of the corner outfield spots, provided his bat stays hot.

Speaking of Bauers, where things get a little murkier is the first base and designated hitter spots. In Vaughn's absence, the duo of Bauers and Gary Sánchez has caught fire at the plate. Bauers and Sánchez provided much of the power in the first month of the season, with each slugging five homers -- the most on the team to this point. As of late, Tyler Black's bat has heated up as well, with a .429 batting average through his first 21 at-bats of the season to prove it. With Yelich still on the IL, the DH spot will likely be used to keep both Vaughn and Bauers' bats in the lineup, but is also where Sánchez and Black may continue to see the most of their opportunities.

The player who is most impacted by today's roster moves is certainly Black. Against right-handed starters, it's likely Vaughn and Bauers will both be in the lineup as the DH and first baseman, as is the case in tonight's series opener, with Sánchez earning the occasional start behind the dish. Against southpaws, it's likely Pat Murphy slots Vaughn in at first base and Sánchez in as the DH. The opportunities for Black, therefore, may be limited.

In just one day, the Brewers have gone from not having enough impact bats in their lineup to worrying about how some of them will get enough opportunities. It's a great problem to have and it speaks to how impactful the returns of Chourio and Vaughn truly are. The Crew did their part to stay afloat without Chourio and Vaughn, now it's time to string together a few series wins with their key contributors back in the lineup.

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