Chicago Cubs: Will Christian Yelich miss the entire series?

If you hadn’t heard, the Chicago Cubs wouldn’t have to deal with Christian Yelich, at least for the first game of the series. He’s suffering from an oblique strain, something that often requires a DL stint.

As the Chicago Cubs head into Milwaukee tonight, there’s one player they won’t see on the other team’s lineup. Christian Yelich suffered an oblique strain, and is currently listed as “day-to-day.” While this might seem small, it could have more significant repercussions if things get worse for the Milwaukee Brewers.

In 27 plate appearances, Yelich is hitting .385 with a home run and six RBI. While a small sample, he’s taken it to Cubs pitching. After his arrival pushed Ryan Braun over to first base, would the Brewers put Braun back out in left field?

Braun back to LF?

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The short answer is no. The Brewers have Eric Thames and Hernan Perez that can play out there, even if Yelich does miss some time with the injury.

But when it comes to an oblique strain, it’s a tricky one to diagnose. Last season, Mitch Haniger went down with a Grade 2 right oblique strain on April 26 and didn’t come back unto June 11.

Three weeks or three days?

Then there’s Miguel Cabrera who missed just three games with a Grade 1 left oblique strain last season. So where Yelich falls in with that is up to him. Was it something that’s been bothering him before?

“No, Just a precautionary thing, make sure it doesn’t turn into something bigger.”

With Jon Lester on the mound tonight, Yelich will get the night off to nurse his wounds. But I feel like saying the words “something bigger” is a sign he’s concerned about it.

The Cubs won’t get any relief on the offense with Yelich out. But it’s one less bat that they’ll have to deal with. When Yelich came over from Miami, the Brewers sent over Lewis Brinson, among others. Not having him in the lineup–even just for one game–will be helpful to the Cubs.

Next: What the Cubs need from Darvish against the Crew

The Cubs will face Brent Suter tonight, a soft-tossing sinkerballer. The Cubs will need to slow the bats down tonight, not speed them up if they want to have success again Suter. Check back for our series preview later today!