The Bright Side of Christian Yelich’s Back Surgery–And Yes, There Really Is One

[Harold Hutchison]

Christian Yelich tried to use rest and rehabilitation for the latest back issue that has him on the injured list, so that he could return by the end of the season. That was not to be. An Aug. 15 post on social media gave an update that was disappointing for Yelich and the Brewers in the short term. But is there a bright side to Yelich having surgery now?

Image courtesy of © Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

The Back Issue
Christian Yelich has dealt with back issues before–with one or more stints on the disabled list or injured list in 2014, 2015, and 2021 before his two times being shelved in 2024. There was also a right oblique injury during his 2018 MVP season that sidelined him.

That’s a lot of missing time, and the ongoing issue is something that has to be dealt with. The Crew owes Yelich $104 million from 2025-2028, and potentially another $20 million for 2029 if the option is exercised. On Aug. 15, Yelich announced he would be having surgery, ending a season where he was posting his best OPS since 2019.

What The Brewers Lost
Yelich was posting a .909 OPS and an OPS+ of 152–both of which led the team, among players with more than 100 at-bats. He led them in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. In counting stats, Yelich was second in stolen bases and fourth in walks, as of Aug. 16.

When he did play, he filled the No. 3 spot in the lineup, usually behind second baseman Brice Turang and catcher William Contreras, and ahead of Willy Adames and Rhys Hoskins. In short, the Brewers went from an elite offense this season to a merely solid one when they lost Yelich.

That’s yet another hole for the Brewers, whose rotation has been riddled with injuries all season. Despite all that, they are 11 games ahead of the focus of evil in the NL Central.

Think Of The Rest Of The Season As An Investment Opportunity
Though the lineup will miss Yelich, the team has very good young outfielders (Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Blake Perkins) who will now get plenty of MLB at-bats. It’s time for the Brewers to use the last few weeks of the season to evaluate Mitchell, Frelick, and Perkins, to calibrate reasonable expectations for each going forward. In essence, these players will be finalizing their adjustments to MLB, and the data profile on each will grow more robust. This will be very good news for the Brewers in 2025 and beyond.

However, there is one non-outfielder who could and should benefit from Yelich missing the rest of the season, and he is who the Brewers should make an investment in, perhaps above all. That would be Tyler Black, who has seen action in center field for Nashville after some decent showings at first base and third base in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. His bat has been MLB-ready since spring training–and with Yelich out, Black’s bat could make up a bit of the difference, whether in left field, at third base, first base, or designated hitter.

The last six weeks of the season and the Brewers’ playoff games could provide Black the extended at-bats needed to adjust to MLB pitching. It took Jackson Chourio two months of regular playing time for his bat to make the adjustment, so why not give Black those two months now, and have both him and Chourio ready to dominate on Opening Day 2025? Given that Black has seen a fair bit of Triple-A pitching, his adjustment might not take as long as Chourio's did, although his ceiling is also much lower.

Overview
The loss of Yelich is a huge hit for the Brewers, but it may actually end up being a good thing for them in the long run, if Black can make the adjustments to MLB pitching. Playing Black regularly, even if he struggles at the plate or in the field, might just be the best long-term investment the Brewers can make in the 2024 season.

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[rolafaive]

Here's the big question, is this the type of back injury that can still reappear? Is this surgery only for pain relief? I know people who after this type of surgery had some relief, but the issue returned after awhile. The back is a very touchy issue.

[Trax]

All of Black, Mitchell and Frelick do indeed have a great opportunity here and they all 3 really need to pick it up.  Problem is all 3 have not shown much for power in their careers and that's not likely to change although I still have hope for Mitch.  They need to continue to work on consistency and getting that on base percentage up because for right now there's not much for true power.  That's where we really miss Yeli...