According to Milwaukee Brewers President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, the Brewers will be without the services of outfielder Christian Yelich for a minimum of ten days following a positive COVID-19 test.
“Christian is fully vaccinated,” Stearns explained in a Tuesday afternoon conference call with reporters – including WTMJ’s Greg Matzek. “He has taken precautions seriously, and guidelines seriously throughout the season. Unfortunately, yesterday he started developing some mild symptoms. He did the right thing and reported those mild symptoms. We got him a test yesterday afternoon. The test returned positive. We then got him a confirmation test which also came back positive.”
The news of Yelich’s positive test forced the Brewers Medical Operations staff – led by Vice President Roger Caplinger – to spring into action with additional testing and contact tracing. Out of an abundance of caution, the team made the decision to postpone Monday’s scheduled flight to Pittsburgh. Instead, the team arrived Tuesday – the same day a three-game series with the Pirates is to begin.
In addition to Yelich, Brewers utility-man Jace Peterson will be placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to MLB’s contract tracing protocol. Peterson will miss seven days. Stearns expressed confidence that the COVID-19 related issues are isolated.
“We went through the MLB protocols last night and this morning. I’m very confident we satisfied those protocols and that we’re doing everything we can to keep our group healthy and safe.”
One year ago, the Brewers were just beginning a 60-game season without fans in the stands. In a recent three game home series against the White Sox, roughly 120,000 fans packed American Family Field to witness a battle of first place teams. The news of Yelich’s positive test is a reminder that the virus remains in the air.
For Yelich, a positive COVID-19 test is just another hurdle to clear. The former National League MVP has appeared in 67 of the Brewers 100 games due to two stints on the injured list with a back issue. At the plate, Yelich is hitting just .235 with 6 home runs.
“I don’t think this has been his favorite year, in totality,” Stearns explains. “When I talked to him this morning, he wasn’t feeling great, but he was in good spirits. This is just another challenge that he’s going to overcome. He’ll get through this. He’ll be back with the team, and we’re certainly going to look forward to getting him back.”
Yelich and Peterson will be removed from the Brewers 40-man roster. Lorenzo Cain will be activated prior to tonight’s game and Pablo Reyes will be recalled from triple-A.