Andrew

Vaughn

Vaughn has been feeling under the weather for the past three or four days already, so it made sense to place him on the injured list and get a fresh bench bat in there for their weekend series against the Cardinals. He should be ready to go for the start of the postseason.

The Brewers are prioritizing some extra rest for Bauers as he continues to play through shin splits, in addition to other assorted bumps and bruises. The decision makes sense with lefty David Peterson toeing the rubber for Chicago in this one. It’ll be Andrew Vaughn covering the cold corner and getting a chance to do some damage in his place.

Vaughn tagged Cubs’ right-hander Kevin Gausman for a 420-foot (105.5-mph EV) solo shot in the fourth inning that pulled the Brewers to within one run at 2-1. That would wind up being the extent of the scoring in the contest. The 28-year-old slugger finished the night 1-for-4 and is now hitting .313/.397/.462 with six homers and 42 RBI on the season.

Vaughn got the scoring started in the ballgame with an RBI single off of Sean Manaea in the first inning, giving the Brewers an early lead that they’d never relinquish. The 28-year-old has been swinging an extremely hot bat as of late and is now slashing a robust .310/.399/.452 on the season with five homers and 38 RBI in his 288 plate appearances.

Bauers takes a seat for the second straight contest as he continues to deal with abdominal soreness. It’s possible he’ll wind up requiring a trip to the injured list if he’s not feeling better in a couple days. It’ll be Andrew Vaughn handling the cold corner in his absence.

Vaughn smoked a homer to center in the fourth to give the Brew Crew a 2-1 lead in the fourth. It’s just the fifth homer of the season for the 28-year-old, but that number is a little more understandable considering he’s only played in 69 games in 2026. Despite the lack of power production, Vaughn has been effective when healthy as seen in his .874 OPS over his 187 plate appearances.

Vaughn’s home run was his fourth of the year. He hit a solo shot off Kyle Freeland in the sixth inning. The story with Vaughn hasn’t changed much. The slugging first baseman hit a home run off a left-handed pitcher, which is what he’s known for. Still, he’s not playing enough against right-handed pitchers to be very useful in fantasy this year. Vaughn is hitting .308 with an .878 OPS and 28 RBI in just 169 at-bats.

Vaughn’s home run was his third of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Freddy Peralta in the third inning. Vaughn is hitting .312 with an .884 OPS, but only has 180 plate appearances this season. His lack of usage, particularly against right-handed pitching, has been frustrating for fantasy managers this year.

The Brewers continue to mix in plenty of off days for their 34-year-old slugger to make sure that he stays healthy for the duration of the season. Jake Bauers will serve as the designated hitter in his place on Thursday while Andrew Vaughn draws a start at first base and will bat sixth against Cardinals’ right-hander Andre Pallante.

Vaughn, who started at first, played one inning at third base after the Brewers made a few moves in the eighth. It was his third ever appearance at the position, with the other two both coming in 2021. We wouldn’t expect to see much more of Vaughn at third, but the Brewers have got to start playing him regularly. His OPS is up to .980, yet he’s started only six of the team’s last 13 games against right-handers.