The 2026 MLB season is barely three weeks old, but the Milwaukee Brewers are already feeling the effects of several injuries that have forced prominent players to miss time. Three starters from last season’s batting order, Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, and Christian Yelich, are currently on the injured list recovering from various afflictions.
Two other Brewers’ regulars, Sal Frelick and Brice Turang, avoided the IL but were unable to play in games over the first weeks of their campaign. Starting pitcher Quinn Priester went 13-3 in his first season in Milwaukee. He has yet to throw an inning this season due to thoracic outlet syndrome (nerve issue) in his right shoulder.
The three-time National League Central Division winners, who bolted to an 8-2 start, have lost six straight games and are now at .500. Will Milwaukee be able to ride the injury storm out and sufficiently replace the numbers missing from their regulars? Time will tell if their replacements will keep the Brewers afloat and in contention for another playoff run.
Milwaukee hopes to welcome back Chourio in early May, who broke his left hand during last month’s World Baseball Classic. Vaughn also broke a bone in his hand, sustaining his injury on March 26th. After surgery to repair the hamate bone, the Brewers aim for Vaughn’s return before Memorial Day.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy knew right away that losing those big bats in his lineup would cause some problems. Murphy knows that the 2025 statistics from Chourio, who has not played in 2026, and Vaughn, who only appeared in the Brewers’ season opener, will be tough to replicate.
“That’s big. Vaughn and Chourio are two of the top five in the order, and they’re both right-handed hitters,” he said on March 31st.
Here are the 2025 numbers from Chourio and Vaughn:
Before the 2026 season commenced, FanGraphs predicted Chourio to produce similar numbers to last year. The Brewers were to expect anywhere between 22-24 home runs, 80-84 RBI, and a batting average slightly north of .270. Since Chourio will miss approximately one-fourth of the season, 25% of those numbers are automatically lost with no guarantee of success once he eventually returns.
Vaughn made his Brewers’ debut last season on July 13, but he left quite the impression in the second half of the campaign. With hopes high for a full season, Vaughn’s injury in Game 1 has put a damper on attaining FanGraphs’ aspirations. According to ZIPS, the projection model from FanGraphs, the system projects Vaughn’s batting average to be below .250. It sees him more like a “struggling thumper” than anything else, but still enough power to hit 20+ HRs.
How have Chourio’s and Vaughn’s replacements fared? Several players have filled their voids, but only one has stepped up productively at the plate.
After Vaughn’s diagnosis, utility players Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez have manned first base in his absence. To date, both have held up their end of the bargain.
Bauers has been receiving the lion’s share of appearances at first base, and his power numbers have thrived. Through 50 at-bats, he is tied for the Brewers’ lead in home runs with five, and he has knocked in 13 runs.
Sanchez also has clubbed five dingers, but he has done so in just 27 at-bats while playing first base and giving William Contreras an occasional break at catcher.
Chourio’s replacements in the outfield have not been as productive. The main substitute in center field has been Garrett Mitchell, who has appeared in 14 games for Milwaukee. Although he single-handedly won a game against the Kansas City Royals on April 4th by knocking in all of the Brewers’ runs in a 5-2 victory, Mitchell has otherwise been less than stellar.
In his other 13 games, Mitchell has hit .257 (9-for-35) without a home run while striking out 19 times.
Outfielder Blake Perkins has been even less helpful in Chourio’s absence. He is hitting just .138 (4-for-29) while adding just two RBI.
In the off-season, dreams of a fourth straight division crown were vivid and realistic based on the crew returning for 2026. Acquisitions of pitchers Kyle Harrison and Angel Zerpa bolstered those visions, and Milwaukee believed it had another postseason run coming.
While that may still turn out to be true, the injuries suffered by Brewers players must be weathered. As the old saying goes, a team cannot win a championship in April and May, but it can certainly lose one if things get out of hand. The results of how injury replacements fare will speak volumes on whether or not Milwaukee will host games in October.
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