At 34 years young, former National League MVP and three-time All-Star Christian Yelich is set to head into his 14th MLB season on the right foot. 

It was a slow come-up for Yelich in recent years. In August 2024, he underwent a season-ending microdiscectomy to address lingering back pain. The surgery was successful, and he was able to return in March of last season and start a total of 146 games. 

Yelich was one of Milwaukee's top producers in 2025, slashing .264/.343/.452 with 29 long balls and 103 RBIs. The Brewers would win their third straight NL Central title before being swept in the NLCS by the eventual World Series winners, the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Now, in the present day, 12 games have been crossed off from the Brewers' spring calendar, and Yelich returns to aid Milwaukee. 

Yelich was slotted in as the designated hitter in his return and batted third, a familiar spot he found himself in in most of his starts in 2025.

The All-Star managed to walk in his first at-bat, laying off a curveball that dropped in the dirt in the first inning on a full count. 

His second at-bat came in the bottom of the third and would prove to be the biggest exclamation mark of the game for Milwaukee. He hit a towering 395-foot solo home run to center field off the Cubs' Jackson Kirkpatrick on a 2-1 pitch. 

This home run would prove to be the lone run for the Brewers. 

Yelich's last at-bat would come in the bottom of the sixth with Milwaukee down 4-1. 

He managed to slash his second hit, a single, on a first-pitch sinker off Vince Velasquez. 

The Brewers' offense was unable to produce anything for the rest of the game and would eventually fall to their rival, 4-1. 

The Brewers' record fell to 4-7, and they find themselves in 13th place in the Cactus League standings. 

Despite the loss, all eyes will turn to the Brewers' pursuit of a fourth straight NL Central title, especially with the Cubs right behind them competing for the coveted title themselves. 

Yelich will provide Milwaukee with all of the offensive prowess he can. Coming off the season he had in 2025, he still has three more years in his record-breaking contract, which he signed in 2020, including a club option for 2029. 

There is still more to see from Yelich in the years moving forward. 

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