The Milwaukee Brewers have spent this run of success leaning on homegrown players, but they’ve also built part of their identity by identifying the right outside talent and getting the most out of it. Christian Yelich has been one of the biggest examples of that formula working. Since arriving in 2018, he helped push Milwaukee to a divisional title and to 90-plus wins for the first time in seven years, and the Brewers have reached that mark in four of the last five seasons.
For a while, Yelich was the face of it all. Milwaukee saw him as a franchise cornerstone when it made the deal with the Miami Marlins, and he backed that belief immediately with an MVP award and an MVP runner-up finish in consecutive seasons. Even after injuries started piling up and the peak years faded, he still delivered plenty of memorable moments.
That’s why his current stretch stands out so sharply. A year after finishing a respectable 12th in the NL MVP race, the three-time Silver Slugger and two-time batting champion is in a deep slump.
He went 0-for-4 in Tuesday’s history-making 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, which left him hitting .231. Through 76 games, his OPS sits at a career-worst .696.
What makes this downturn more jarring is that Yelich has usually found a way to avoid ending a season as a below-average hitter. That will change in 2026. Right now, though, he isn’t getting it done with contact or power, and some fans have already started treating him like a liability.
Pat Murphy wants none of that. After the game, the Brewers manager made it clear he isn’t asking for protection so much as patience.
“He doesn’t need my protection,” the two-time reigning NL Manager of the Year said after the game, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He doesn’t need me to speak up for him.
He needs encouragement. So I’m asking the fans to understand this guy, remember who this guy was.”
Yelich has earned that kind of grace with everything he’s done for Milwaukee. But with back issues continuing to speed up Father Time’s chase, and the Los Angeles Dodgers adding Tarik Skubal to their ever-expanding empire, the margin for patience is getting smaller. If the slide keeps going, Murphy could be facing a tough call before long.
In Other News...
Brice Turang Just Gave Brewers Fans Reason To Exhale
Jacob Misiorowski gave the Brewers another strong night on the mound, working six innings and allowing one run as Milwaukee beat the Dodgers 4-1. The win was a useful one in its own right, but there was also a quieter bit of good news around the clubhouse: second baseman Brice Turang is continuing to move in the right direction after his knee injury, and the early signs have the Brewers feeling better about his status.
Turang did not play in the game, but he was active in pregame work and remained around the team as one of Milwaukees more important everyday pieces. With the injury still being monitored, the Brewers now appear to have avoided a far worse outcome, even if they are still waiting to see exactly when he can get back to his regular role. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Could Put Several Young Contributors On The Trade Block
Milwaukees front office is already being sized up for another familiar winter task: deciding whether to lean into the roster it has built or use some of its younger pieces as currency. Among the names drawing attention are Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby, Joey Ortiz and Garrett Mitchell, all of whom have played meaningful roles for the Brewers in different ways while also carrying the kind of team control that makes them useful in trade discussions. That combination of age, utility and contractual flexibility is exactly why they are on the radar as the offseason approaches.
The bigger picture for the Brewers is less about any one October result than about how they want to shape the next stretch of contention. Moving a young contributor could help bring back prospects or ease payroll pressure, but it also means parting with players who still fit the clubs longer-term timeline. However the postseason ends, Milwaukee looks headed for a winter where strategic planning may matter just as much as the results that came before it. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Rotation Crunch Is Creating One Big Decision Soon
The Brewers have been managing their staff with a six-man starting rotation ever since the additions of Dustin May and Kyle Harrison changed the shape of the group. For now, that setup is staying in place for one more turn, which gives the club a little more runway as it sorts out how to balance innings, roles and the needs of a pitching staff that has been asked to stretch a bit.
Shane Drohan is the name to watch in the next phase of that decision, since Milwaukee is leaning toward moving him back into a relief role after this current run. Robert Gasser also remains part of the immediate plan, with the final game of the upcoming series reserved for him, a move that keeps him in the rotation at least for the moment as the Brewers continue to fine-tune the back end of the staff. [Read more 🡒]