The Brewers will have to navigate the late stages without one of their best players.
Outfielder Christian Yelich has been on the disabled list twice this season with back injuries and is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on Friday.
Yelich, 32, addressed the situation in an emotional video posted to his X account on Thursday.
“It’s gotten to the point where it’s not going to get better,” he said. “I’ve tried everything I can, but I’ve run out of options and it’s time to make a decision. … It’s awful. It’s awful, that’s all I can say. It’s awful. But that’s sports. These things happen. You get hurt, you heal, you get back on the court. Let’s try to stay as positive as possible and that will be the best outcome.”
Yelich, the 2018 National League MVP, has struggled with back problems throughout his career but is once again hitting well this year, batting .315/.406/.504 with 11 home runs.
His performance earned him a spot in the starting lineup for the All-Star Game in Texas as the No. 6 hitter in the National League.
However, shortly thereafter, on July 24, he was placed on the disabled list again due to lower back inflammation.
In a statement released by the Brewers, Yelich said he expects to be back to “100 percent” next year.
The Brewers are coming off a win over the Dodgers on Thursday and are currently 69-52, 9.0 games ahead of the National League Central Division.
As it stands, Milwaukee is ranked first in the division, the third-best in the National League, which means that if the season were to end on Thursday, they would have to play in a best-of-three wild-card series.
