Jake Bauers' Breakout Season with Brewers Hits a Snag as He Sits Out Series Opener
When the Milwaukee Brewers take the field for their Tuesday series opener against the New York Mets, Jake Bauers will not be in the lineup. The first baseman and outfielder fouled a ball off his ankle on Sunday, stayed in the game, but was later seen running gingerly to the outfield, as reported by Heavy. The injury means Bauers, along with Christian Yelich, will be watching the game from the dugout as the Brewers begin a three-game road trip.
Despite the setback, Bauers has been one of the most surprising stories in Major League Baseball this season. According to Sports Illustrated, the Brewers have the best record in the league, yet they've hit only 120 home runs through 130 games, the lowest total in baseball. Bauers, a 30-year-old who had never hit more than 12 home runs in a season before this year, leads the team with 23 dingers, including one on Saturday. Jackson Chourio is the closest with 17.
Bauers's breakout has been a boon for a team that wins with pitching and timely hitting. He's hitting .273 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs this season, and he's been on fire recently, batting .346 with two home runs and seven RBIs in his last seven games, per Heavy. Sports Illustrated reports that Bauers, who has a 144 OPS+ in 461 plate appearances, has been batting third or fourth in the order much of the year.
A Bargain in the Lineup
Bauers's unexpected power surge has made him one of the best value picks in baseball, particularly for a small-market club like Milwaukee. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, as quoted by Sports Illustrated, wrote on Saturday that Bauers was a cheap power source for the Brewers in 2024 and 2025, but the club's small-market profile made him a non-tender candidate at the start of last offseason. Instead, he returned on a $2.7 million salary in his second year of arbitration, and that has made him one of the biggest bargains of the year as he has been an anchor in the middle of the lineup for the first-place Brewers.
It's a far cry from where Bauers was just a couple of years ago. The Brewers acquired him from the New York Yankees in November 2023, as reported by Heavy. This season, the 30-year-old has already set career highs in home runs and RBIs, and he's on a path to become an unrestricted free agent after the year.
Manager's Belief in Bauers
Brewers manager Pat Murphy has seen this version of Bauers coming. In a post-game interview reported by Heavy, Murphy praised the player's mental growth: "I think Jake has been through enough in his career that he's come into his own. He has a belief system now. He understands who he is."
Bauers' recent performance backs that up. On Saturday, he hit a home run after seeing 23 pitches in his first two at-bats against Martin Perez, and he let a quote in to describe the feeling. "That one felt good. I got into the dugout and I told Murphy that might've been the best at-bat of my life. Obviously, it means a little more when you're 12 pitches deep and trying to get a job done, so just happy I was able to come through," he said, according to Heavy.
Looking Ahead from the Bench
With Bauers sidelined, the Brewers are likely to miss his bat in the middle of the lineup. Tuesday's lineup features Chourio in left, but Bauers's absence has been obvious in the order, especially with Yelich also not in the game.
The Brewers, who are on track to reach the postseason for the eighth time in the past nine seasons, will need to plug the gap while Bauers recovers. He'll be back soon, but for теперь, he's watching from the dugout.
This report was informed by Heavy and Sports Illustrated.