Christian Yelich is back.
After spending exactly one month on the injured list with a left adductor strain, the Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter returned to the active roster and the lineup for the team’s game May 12 against the San Diego Padres.
Yelich injured himself running to first base April 12 against Washington. The team initially feared it to be a hamstring injury, though tests later confirmed it to be a groin ailment.
All things considered, Yelich managed to return from the first soft tissue injury he’s dealt with in the major leagues in minimal time.
Tyler Black was optioned to Class AAA Nashville in a corresponding move.
Yelich’s activation comes one week after Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn returned to the lineup and gives the Brewers their full complement of offensive weapons, something they have not had for a single game this year.
The Brewers, all things considered, fared reasonably well without their leader and captain during his month away.
Milwaukee went 14-9, but don’t confuse that record with the offense’s performance.
With Yelich on the shelf, Brewers batters hit .242 with a .330 OBP and slugged just .332, the lowest mark in the majors. Their 91 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) was 91, which was fifth-worst in that span.
Yelich, in limited action, batted .313 with one homer and an .826 OPS before getting hurt.
The Brewers designated hitter shared the lineup with Vaughn only once and has yet to play with Chourio.
With all forces now joined, the expectation is the Brewers will be able to deliver more slug to a lineup that has been largely able to score runs without doing much damage; entering play May 12, they rank dead last in the majors with 26 home runs yet are somehow eighth in runs scored.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers offense is full-go as Christian Yelich is activated from injured list
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
