More than seven months had passed between games for All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich, but Saturday’s goal in his spring training debut was “a win” just by playing.
“I felt good … it’s a long road back from that kind of stuff,” Yelich said. A successful microdiscectomy surgery in his back ended his 2024 season prematurely, but has not diverted his plans to be ready for Opening Day this season.
“It was nice to just be back in a game, and just build off of it,” Yelich said, despite a quiet 0-for-3 performance as the designated hitter on an afternoon the Brewers hit five home runs. “I didn’t care what the results were at all, just find out where you’re at and go from there.”
Yelich had been a full participant in all drills this spring but still waited to appear in his first game. “This was the date that was targeted for a while and there were no hiccups getting to here.”
Pat Murphy loved the fact that Yeli’s return came at the turn of the calendar. “March 1st, there had been many spring trainings he hadn’t played a game yet,” in regards to letting the veteran wait until later in the spring to return to the lineup. “I think that he’s on a good track, I think he’ll get plenty of at-bats to get ready.”
“My body felt good so, that was pretty much the biggest concern of the day,” Yelich said. He surpassed the milestone of not thinking about his back anymore quickly after his hitting workouts resumed in January.
“As far as physical, my work all feels the same, the days feel the same.” The Brewers open their season in The Bronx against the New York Yankees in 26 days. “The more [games] you can get under your belt the better, and we’ve got about a month to get it right.”
