Before their loss to the Reds last night, the Brewers scratched outfielder Christian Yelich from the lineup with back spasms (insert joke about him carrying the team).
You may recall that Yelich, who is disproportionately important to the Brewers’ competitiveness, missed some time earlier this year with a back issue. The team is hopeful this won’t result in a significant absence, however:
Early sense is that the back spasms sidelining Christian Yelich are different than the stiffness that forced him to miss parts of seven games a few weeks ago. Less serious this time, Brewers believe.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) May 21, 2019
Spoke briefly with manager Craig Counsell about Christian Yelich. Said all they know know is that he's experiencing back spasms. Said it did not happen while doing baseball activity. "It just locked up on him," Counsell said. No way to know severity but early signs not serious.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) May 21, 2019
Yelich, the reigning NL MVP, is off to a torrid start to the season (and no longer just at home), hitting .325/.440/.732 with a 196 wRC+. He’s already been worth 3.0 WAR on his own, which is like he is the difference right now between a 28-22 Brewers team just 2.0 games behind the Cubs, and a 25-25 Brewers team that is 5.0 games behind the Cubs.
He’s arguably the most important individual player in the NL Central right now.