By this stage of his career, 34-year-old Christian Yelich is royalty in Milwaukee. One of the most beloved players during one of the more successful stretches of Milwaukee Brewers history, Yelich remains one of the best bats in baseball with his consistent blend of power and timing that Brewers fans have grown so accustomed to.
His presence was sorely missed over the course of the last month, when he left the lineup and joined the injured list to nurse an untimely adductor strain. This forced the Brewers to reach deep into their bench, directly contributing to a dip in the standings, which they're only just fighting back from.
Thanks to some incredible pitching and a few dynamic returns to the lineup, the Brewers are playing much better baseball coming off a 3-0 series sweep of the New York Yankees. Yelich rejoins the lineup in San Diego to give the Brewers the closest thing they've had to a healthy batting rotation for the first time all season, except for outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who is having a strong start to his first full season with the Brew Crew.
The timing couldn't be better for the Milwaukee Brewers, who welcome their franchise star back to the batting rotation while finally finding their footing in the NL Central.
Christian Yelich's return gives the Brewers some much-needed offense as they climb the NL Central standings.
The NL Central is no joke this season, with all five teams within five games of first place, and four within a game and a half of each other in the standings. The Milwaukee Brewers slipped as far as fourth for a moment before stacking a few wins and returning to the No. 2 spot behind their rival, the Chicago Cubs.
Yelich only has one home run this season, but he's been fantastic at making contact and helping runners get home. He's hitting .314 for the season with 10 runs, 10 RBI and three stolen bases. The former MVP and three-time All-Star ranks top three on his team in batting average, OBP and OPS among players who've appeared in at least 10 games this season.
While you can't rely on Yelich to be the team's statistical leader any longer, he's still the glue that helps keep the team together when you need a steady hand. So long as he can fend off the back issues that have plagued much of the last decade of his career, Yelich is sure to give the Brewers an essential boost as they chase their fourth consecutive season atop the division.
At the very least, he'll keep the offense moving and help get more runners on base for scoring opportunities. If he's able to get back to the level he started the season at, the Milwaukee Brewers have a shot to become a real powerhouse once again.
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