3 Brewers players who need to step up following Christian Yelich's latest injury

The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves in a tough spot following the loss of Christian Yelich to another back injury. He's decided against surgery for now and his season isn't over yet, but the Brewers are entering a crucial stretch without their biggest star.

Replacing what Yelich does for this team will be difficult, if not impossible. Manager Pat Murphy quipped "What do you suggest we do? Go get Vlad Jr?". While Vlad Guerrero Jr in a Brewers uniform sounds nice, that's also unlikely to happen.

The Brewers are reportedly looking to add a left handed hitter at the trade deadline in the wake of this injury news. However, in order for the Brewers to truly fill the void left by Yelich in the lineup, they'll need some internal options to step up and shoulder the load rather than just relying on one guy.

Without Yelich, the Brewers need these three players to step up and increase production in the lineup.

1. Rhys Hoskins

The Brewers need a little more production from Rhys Hoskins. Entering play on Friday, Hoskins is hitting .212/.304/.410 on the year with 15 homers and a .714 OPS. The batting average and OBP are both around 30 points lower than where they've been the last couple of years.

Ever since Hoskins' hamstring injury earlier this season, he hasn't quite been the same. The struggles just haven't been getting better either. Over his last 30 games, Hoskins is hitting just .181 with five home runs and 43 strikeouts in 105 ABs.

If you need a home run threat or a clutch hit, who's the biggest presence in the lineup that opposing teams would pitch around if not Yelich? It would be Hoskins. He has the reputation and the power potential to change games. The Brewers need him to get hot to help cover the loss of Yelich.

2. Willy Adames

The other big, threatening, veteran presence in the heart of the Brewers lineup is Willy Adames. He will need to stay hot and provide some big swings for this team as one of the key leaders.

The good news is Adames has been hitting the ball well of late. He's 11-for-his-last-27 with a pair of homers. In his last 15 games, Adames is hitting .322 with a .970 OPS.

His recent hot stretch has boosted his numbers to the best they've been since 2021, his first season in Milwaukee.

3. Garrett Mitchell

This is a big opportunity for everyone in that Brewers outfield really, but especially for Garrett Mitchell. The Brewers need that left-handed power bat in their lineup now that Yelich won't be in it for a while. Milwaukee has some lefties, but Brice Turang and Sal Frelick aren't going to provide much power. Who has the most power potential of the Brewers lefty bats now? It's Garrett Mitchell.

Mitchell has shown he can be a sparkplug when healthy. He showed it in 2022, he showed it in April 2023 before injury, and now he needs to show it again. He'll be getting much more regular playing time in the outfield rotation with Yelich out and the Brewers need him to take advantage.

It's been a slow offensive start for Mitchell after missing the first three months. He's hitting .227/.333/.364 with one homer and two stolen bases in 15 games. Granted, it's a small sample size, but as his sample size grows, the Brewers will need his numbers to grow with it.

He's been slowly improving over the last seven games versus the first eight games, so that's a good sign. Bottom line, though, is that Mitchell will need to join Hoskins and Adames in stepping up to shoulder the load left behind by Yelich's IL stint. No one player can replace Yelich, but if these three play up to their ability, then the loss of Yelich can be mitigated.