You can breathe a sigh of relief, Brewers fans. It appears that Milwaukee's standout first baseman Jake Bauers is going to be okay after fouling a ball off a big toe, and initial reports suggested he might've broken it. Thankfully, a follow-up MRI reported by Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel showed that it was only a reaggravation of an older injury, and Bauers isn't expected to miss significant time.
For a moment, it seemed like the Brewers would have to make some wholesale changes to make up for Bauers' role in the rotation. The 30-year-old is having his best season in the pros with 18 home runs, 60 RBIs and .856 OPS on the season, which are all new career-highs for the lefty slugger. He's leading the team in both homers and slugging percentage, pacing a Brewers rotation that's done an excellent job of getting on base, but hasn't been able to slam as many homers as they'd like to.
With just over a third of the regular season left to go, tied for the best record in the MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers have their eyes set on a historic Playoff run, but they'll need Bauers at his best to get there. He's back in the lineup to close out their series in San Francisco and will seemingly resume as if nothing ever happened, but this scare gave us a clear sense of just how important he's become.
Jake Bauers has become the unsung hero of the Milwaukee Brewers' historic season.
Earlier this year, Bauers was the talk of the town because of his 12-game hitting streak and red-hot slugging for a Milwaukee club that desperately needed his power. It's been a long and winding road through the MLB for Bauers, who played for five different franchises in six years before finding a home in America's Dairyland. Now, it feels impossible to imagine this Brewers lineup without him.
According to Baseball Savant, Bauers' stellar slugging far exceeds what the eye test tells us. He ranks in the 90th percentile or higher in several crucial categories, including Chase Percentage (96th), Hard-Hit Percentage (95th), Bat Speed (94th), and Average Exit Velocity (93rd). Simply put, he's dominating from an offensive perspective for a Brewers team that doesn't have a ton of power.
Milwaukee could've survived a stint without him, allowing for Andrew Vaughn to take a more prominent role in the lineup. But losing their most consistent power batter right in the middle of a push for the No. 1 seed in the National League would've hurt quite a bit, so it's safe to say the Brewers are feeling relieved by this latest injury update.
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