Christian Yelich is opting to rest and rehab his back instead of undergoing season-ending spine surgery, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The Brewers placed Yelich on the injured list Wednesday because of lower back inflammation. He met with a specialist Thursday to discuss his options, and offseason surgery is “a strong possibility,” according to Rosenthal.
Christian Yelich intends to rest and rehab his back rather than undergo surgery that would have ended his season, a source tells @TheAthletic. Offseason surgery is a strong possibility, the source says.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 25, 2024
Yelich spoke about his condition with reporters Wednesday from the visitor’s clubhouse at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
“Everybody plays through stuff, but sometimes you just can’t,” Yelich said, per MLB.com. “That’s kind of where we’re at at this point. Your body won’t cooperate with you.”
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Back issues have plagued Yelich for years. This is his fourth stint on the IL due to a back issue since 2014, including one earlier this season. None previously required surgery, which isn’t a forgone conclusion this time, either. Rest and treatment are also on the table, MLB.com reports.
“What are you going to do? But also, though, there’s a potential that I can finally get on the other side of this when all is said and done,” Yelich continued. “We’ll see. It remains to be seen, I guess.”
Yelich declined to discuss the specifics of his back ailment.
“I don’t really want to get into the specifics of it, but, yeah, not great,” he said.
Yelich, 32, is in the midst of his best season since back-to-back All-Star campaigns saw him win NL MVP in 2018 and secure a second-place finish in ’19. He leads the NL in batting average and on-base percentage this season, with a .315/.460/.504 slash line, 11 home runs, 42 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 73 games. He appeared in his third career All-Star Game and first since 2019 last week.
The Brewers beat the Cubs on Wednesday to improve to 59-43 and increase their lead in the NL Central to six games.
Yelich’s play has suffered of late as he has dealt with his back issues. He was 1-for-19 in his past six games before the Brewers placed him on the IL. The results of Thursday’s consultation could help determine how aggressive the Brewers get ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.
