Christian Yelich DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) is scheduled to play around four innings in left field on Wednesday in the Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. It's the first time that Yelich will test his surgically-repaired back in the outfield this spring. There's always plenty of inherent risk taking a player in fantasy drafts coming off serious back surgery -- he had surgery last August to fix a herniated disc in his lower back -- but at least with Yelich, we know that he has MVP upside when he's right. If his back surgery fixes his chronic back problems, fantasy managers could have a steal on their hands. The former 23rd overall pick of the Miami Marlins in 2010 is a three-time All-Star and former MVP, and he was hitting .315 (85-for-270) with 11 homers, 42 RBI and 21 steals in only 73 games last year before he was shut down.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) will make his spring debut on Saturday afternoon against the Texas Rangers. Yelich underwent a microdiscectomy procedure in August to address a herniated disc in his lower back. The 33-year-old was shut down after this operation in August. However, seeing him return early in spring training suggests he should have a great opportunity to be a full-go in time for Opening Day. Before the injury last season, Yelich was on pace to enjoy a strong campaign as he held a .315/.406/.504 slash line with 12 doubles, 11 home runs, and 21 stolen bases. He generated an elite .373 xwOBA with a strong 12.7 percent walk rate. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Yelich to have an everyday role in left field and bat near the top of the Milwaukee lineup.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) took batting practice on the field at camp on Monday morning, and manager Pat Murphy thinks Yelich will make his Cactus League debut once the calendar flips to March. The Brewers are understandably taking it slow with Yelich early in spring training after he had a microdiscectomy to fix a herniated disc in his lower back last August, but he's coming along nicely and should be ready for Opening Day in late March, barring a setback. The 33-year-old veteran left-handed hitter has had ongoing back issues in recent seasons, but hopefully his procedure last year will correct everything moving forward. There's obvious risk from a fantasy perspective from such a surgery, but it helps to know that the former MVP was hitting .315 with 11 homers, 42 RBI and 21 steals in 73 games before he was shut down last year. Yelich is RotoBaller's No. 27 outfielder in 2025.