Great News for Andrew Vaughn, Brewers Before NLDS

It sure sounds like Andrew Vaughn will be good to go for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Aug 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn (28) makes a play against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers are inching closer to full strength ahead of their upcoming National League Division Series against either the San Diego Padres or the Chicago Cubs.

On Oct. 3, the Brewers will welcome either the Padres or Cubs to town for Game 1 action. On Tuesday, the Padres blew out the Cubs, 8-0. One more win by San Diego and it will be the Padres who come to town with a chance to advance to the National League Championship Series on the line. Fortunately, it sounds like one of the key cogs in Milwaukee's lineup is trending up ahead of the NLDS. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Andrew Vaughn will be a "full go" throughout the week after missing time due to the flu.

"Andrew Vaughn is a full go in team workouts today. He said this afternoon he lost 10 lbs. last week with the flu," Hogg wrote on X. "Joey Ortiz is someone to 'keep an eye on' as he works through the knee/abdomen."

Andrew Vaughn Is Looking Up

Sep 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn (28) enters the dugout to play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vaughn last played on Sep. 19 and missed time after getting sick. On Sep. 25, the Brewers placed Vaughn on the Injured List due to the illness, retroactive to Sep. 22. Vaughn was placed on the 10-day Injured List, which means that the earliest he could be activated is Oct. 3, which certainly seems very likely at this moment.

The fact that he's going to be a "full go" throughout the week is a great sign of his progress. He hasn't been injured, but he was sick. Clearly, it had an impact as he shared that he lost 10 pounds due to the flu. That's no small thing to get over. If the Brewers didn't have a first-round bye, who knows what would've happened. But, fortunately, the Brewers didn't have to play in a wild-card series, which gave him more time to get ready.

Every year, there are people who talk about the regular season as if it isn't very important. This is a perfect reason why it is. Milwaukee had the best record in baseball, which gave it a few extra days of rest before beginning a playoff series. Plus, the Brewers don't have to play a three-game series in the playoffs. The three-game playoff series arguably are ridiculous in general.

The Cubs, who scratched and clawed their way to get to the postseason, could have their playoff run end on Wednesday. Which is just one day after it began. Milwaukee avoided that mess and has given one of its top bats time to return. Everything is positive right now for Vaughn and the Brewers.