After Jackson Chourio's Return, All Eyes Now on Brewers' Christian Yelich

It was a big day for the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, despite a loss against the National League Central rival St. Louis Cardinals.

Both Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn returned to the lineup for Milwaukee. It was Chourio's first game of the season for the Brewers in the majors. It was Vaughn's second game of the season for the club after playing on Opening Day.

Chourio specifically looked like a star on Monday as he went 4-for-4 with a walk in his 2026 season debut. Now, of course, he's not going to be batting 1.000 forever, but he showed right away why this club is about to get better.

Brewers Star Christian Yelich Took A Step In The Right Direction

Apr 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich (22) warms up in the team's new City Connect uniform before game against the Washington Nationals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

There was more optimism on Monday as well than just the return of Chourio and Vaughn. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Christian Yelich was spotted swinging in batting practice before the club's series opener vs. the Cardinals.

"Christian Yelich is currently taking hacks on the field with the rest of the team during batting practice," Hogg wrote on X on Monday.

When Yelich initially was placed on the Injured List with an adductor strain, he didn't want to try to project a return timeline. Yelich was put on the Injured List in the middle of April and shortly afterward, reports surfaced indicating that he could be back at some point in May. With Yelich already progressing to the point where he can swing, that's a positive sign for a potential return in the coming weeks. Now, of course, it doesn't mean that he's going to be returning to the club on Tuesday. But Yelich is on the road with Milwaukee and is swinging. If he comes away without soreness, the next step would be a minor league rehab assignment.

If he's going to return in May, it wouldn't be shocking to hear about a minor league rehab assignment in the next week or so, although that is speculation. When a position player begins a minor league rehab assignment, it is for a maximum of 20 days. A player doesn't have to use the entire clock, but the maximum amount of time is 20 days between a player beginning a rehab assignment and then either returning to the majors, or being optioned down to the minors.

So, with Yelich swinging, that's a positive step in his recovery.

Add us as a preferred source on Google