The Milwaukee Brewers will be down one of their top bats as they square off against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Outfielder Christian Yelich has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported Tuesday ahead of Game 1 against the Jays.
Yelich suffered the injury on Sunday against the Washington Nationals. He was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning with left hamstring tightness.
“We’re most likely going to get some bad news on Yelich,” manager Pat Murphy said after the game.
Murphy said the 2018 NL MVP and three-time All-Star felt a “little twinge” in his hamstring and was undergoing imaging.
“There is some fluid in there, so let’s wait and see,” Murphy said. “He wanted to stay in the game, but … we’ve just got to be careful with these guys. We’re in April.”
Prior to the injury, the 34-year-old had been enjoying a solid season in Milwaukee, batting .314 with a .826 OPS and one home run through the first 15 games.
Outfielder Greg Jones has been called up from triple-A as his replacement.
Milwaukee is already missing Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn due to hand injuries. Chourio went on the IL just before Milwaukee’s season opener, while Vaughn appeared in one game before joining him.
The Brewers also are missing starting pitcher Quinn Priester (right thoracic outlet) and reliever Jared Koenig (elbow).
After winning eight of their first 10 games, the Brewers have lost five straight. They never dropped as many as five in a row last year while winning a franchise-record 97 games to post the best record in the majors.
— With files from the Associated Press