Christian Yelich Expects to Be Ready for Brewers Opening Day amid Back Injury Rehab

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder and former MVP Christian Yelich is set to be ready for the 2025 MLB season after undergoing back surgery just six months ago.

"I saw before I came here that I might be a question mark for Opening Day, and I'm not sure where that came from," Yelich said, per The Associated Press. "Unless something crazy happens here, I don't see why I wouldn't be ready."

The Brewers open their season on March 27 against the New York Yankees on the road.

Yelich, 33, was pulled from a July 23 game against the Chicago White Sox after landing on the injured list twice during the 2024 season. He ultimately underwent surgery in mid-August, ending a standout season in which he led the National League in batting average (.315) and on-base percentage (.406).

The surgery was "just the best option that we really had left," Yelich said, per The Associated Press. "It just got to the point where it wasn't getting better. I tried everything I could, ran out of options, and it came time to make a decision."

Despite Yelich’s absence, the Brewers finished first in the NL Central with a 93-69 record before falling to the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card round, 2-1. His procedure was done with hopes of ensuring he would be ready for the start of the 2025 season.

"Once we got in there and did the operation and found the problem, it was like, 'This is probably not very good,'" Yelich continued, per The Associated Press. "So, yeah, it's kind of nice to be on the other side of it, and hopefully there are a lot fewer problems going forward."

With a full recovery, Yelich expects to return to his role as the Brewers’ starting left fielder without defensive limitations.

"I still feel like I'm capable of playing the outfield, and I'd like to do that as much as possible," Yelich said, according to The Associated Press. "But it's nice mixing in a DH day or two, also."

The three-time Silver Slugger will continue to be the face of the team as Milwaukee looks to build on its best season since 2021.

"We've faced challenges every year, it seems, on this team," Yelich said, per the Associated Press. "It's going to take somebody stepping up in here because they didn’t really go outside of the organization to fill those voids. It’s going to have to come internally. Somebody's going to have to step up."

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