'A win': Yelich takes big step in return from back surgery

PHOENIX -- Rhys Hoskins knows exactly what it’s like to be back in the batter’s box following a significant surgery, so he could relate to what Christian Yelich told him as the Brewers prepared to host the Rangers on Saturday at American Family Fields of Phoenix.

“He was saying today, ‘Oh, I’m kind of nervous,’” said Hoskins, who hammered two of the Brewers’ five home runs in their 9-4 win. “This guy’s been in the league for 10-plus years, a former MVP, and we’re here on March 1 and he’s kind of nervous, that’s cool for him.

“It’s a hurdle, right? Whether you want to admit that out loud or not, to get in game action and be done with it, to know that you can still do it and you’ll be all right, that’s a nice hurdle for him to get over.”

The hurdle consisted of three at-bats for Yelich in his first competitive action since undergoing back surgery last August. The box score reflects that he struck out swinging against Rangers starter Kumar Rocker in the first inning, struck out looking in the second and then smacked a run-scoring bounceout to shortstop in the fourth -- all as Milwaukee’s designated hitter.

But the only result that really mattered was that Yelich felt healthy as the Brewers creep closer to Opening Day.

“Just being out there was a win,” Yelich said. “It’s a long road back from that kind of stuff, dealing with the rehab process and trying to get out there. It was just nice to be back in a game. It had been a long time.”

The process began in January when Yelich resumed hitting after undergoing a microdiscectomy procedure in mid-August aimed to relieve years of back trouble. The Brewers’ new lead hitting coach, Al LeBoeuf, traveled to Southern California around that time to meet with Yelich in a relaxed setting, aiming to strengthen the casual relationship they’d formed during LeBoeuf’s many years as a coach in Milwaukee’s Minor League system. Now that LeBoeuf was promoted to lead hitting coach on the Major League staff, assisted by Eric Theisen and holdover Connor Dawson, it necessitated a closer connection.

The idea was to build enough trust to assess days like Saturday as Yelich took the next step in his comeback. The Brewers have a schedule of games mapped out for Yelich, including some action in left field, though that’s all dependent on how his body bounces back from each test.

“I am really happy to watch him do what he’s doing, and most importantly I’m excited that he’s bouncing back the way that he is at this juncture of it,” LeBoeuf said. “I think that’s the most important thing.”

So far, so good, according to Yelich.

“It was basically how I expected it to be, and my body felt good. That was the biggest concern of the day,” he said. “You take that baseline and build off that for the next four weeks.

“It’s my first time [having surgery], so I’m trying to feel it out and see if it feels familiar or not familiar. Physically, I feel good. That’s the most important thing. It’s like, ‘All right, I can go out there and play a game and make it to the end of your day.’ I think every year at this time, there’s things you can work on and things that aren’t as sound as you want them to be once the season starts.

“As far as physically, my work feels the same. The days feel the same. So we’ll get back into games and get in the flow of a Major League game. I’d done everything so far but get in a game.”

Now Yelich has checked that box and can move to the next challenge, all leading to the day the at-bats begin to matter. The Brewers are scheduled to open the regular season in New York against the Yankees on March 27.

“We’ve got a month to get it right,” Yelich said.