Yesterday, the po sibility was raised that Brewers outfielder/designated hitter could be facing season-ending back surgery. That scenario seems to be off the table at the moment, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reporting that Yelich will attempt rest and rehab for now, but with surgery in the offseason still a strong po sibility. The Brewers placed their star and former MVP on the 10-day injured list yesterday with lower back inflammation. It was at the time that the 32-year-old would be seeing a spine specialist today with season-ending surgery a po sibility, though it seems the specialist gave Yelich some hope of returning this season. The lower back has been an ongoing problem for Yelich, as he went on the IL due to i sues in that part of his body in 2014, 2015, 2021 and now again in 2024. Ive dealt with it a lot during my career, Yelich said yesterday, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com . I feel like its kind of affected me in a negative way at times. Ive been able to play at a high level but its one of those things thats held be back a little, so thats where its frustrating. What are you going to do? But also, though, theres a potential that I can finally get on the other side of this, finally, when all is said and done. Well see. It remains to be seen, I gue s. Based on those words from Yelich, it seems as though theres some belief that the surgery could put the i sue behind him for good. Even if that is the case, its understandable why he would try to delay it, at least for a few months. The Brewers Greg Maddux Jersey are currently 59-43 and have a six-game lead over the Cardinals in the National League Central. Given the clubs circumstances, its understandable that he would want to pursue a chance of coming back for the stretch run and then the playoffs. Even when not 100% healthy, hes often the best player on the field when hes out there. He won National League MVP in 2018 and was roughly as good in 2019. Over those two seasons, he hit 80 home runs and slashed .327/.415/.631 for a wRC+ of 170. He also stole 52 bases and played all three outfield positions. He racked up a ma sive 14.2 wins above replacement in that two-year stretch, per FanGraphs. He then had a bit of a dip in 2020 and 2021, hitting .234/.360/.392 in that time for a 106 wRC+, but hes been on an upward trend since then. His wRC+ jumped to 111 in 2022 and 122 last year, before getting all the way to 155 here in 2024. Hes hit 11 home runs and is drawing walks in 12.7% of his plate appearances, leading to a .315/.406/.504 batting line. Hes swiped 21 bags as well. Getting that kind of production back in the lineup later in the year will obviously be a priority for the Brewers. For now, they have an outfield mix consisting of , , and . The designated hitter slot can be shared between , and others. Even if he is able to return this year, its still po sible hell have to go under the knife later. Whether that impacts his offseason or his 2025 campaign remains to be seen. His deal with the Brewers runs through 2028 with a mutual option for 2029. Hurston Waldrep Jersey