Jake

Bauers

Bauers was slated to hit third in this one with Christian Yelich being dropped in the lineup. He’s also been battling a toe issue recently. It’ll be Garrett Mitchell moving up to the third spot in his place and Yelich bumping up to fifth. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern, but fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status for the remainder of the week.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters they’re moving Yelich down in an effort to generate a spark and get things trending in a different direction. It’ll be Jake Bauers moving up to the third spot in front of cleanup hitter William Contreras to face Pirates starter Jared Jones. Yelich has been ice-cold since last month’s All-Star break, hitting .192 (10-for-52) with one homer in 13 games.

The Brewers have routinely used Sunday as a day of rest for Yelich in an effort to keep him healthy and fresh for the duration of the season. Jake Bauers will function as the team’s designated hitter in his place and will bat fifth against Walbert Urena and the Angels on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Bauers took Brett Kerry deep, and it tied the game at 1-1. It also gave Bauers his 20th homer of the season in what has been a very solid campaign for the 30-year-old veteran. The left-handed hitter had never posted an OPS above .752 coming into the year, but barring a disaster over the final two months, he’s going to easily best that number with an .873 OPS this far over 99 games and 373 at-bats. You can do a lot worse.

Bauers seemed destined for the injured list with a broken toe on Tuesday, but instead he’s 4-for-9 the last two days. The homer tonight was his 19th, which is seven more than his previous career. He’s also up to 63 RBI, which is 15 more than his previous best. The Brewers aren’t due to face another lefty until next Friday, so Bauers will continue to get all of the playing time he can handle.

Bauers is back at first base and hitting third. He wound up only missing one game after precautionary imaging showed a previous fracture in his right big toe after he fouled a ball off his foot earlier this week. He’s expected to manage the pain and swelling in an effort to avoid the injured list.

Bauers added that it’ll merely be a pain management and tolerance issue since he’s not dealing with a new injury. It sounds like there’s a decent chance that he manages to avoid a trip to the injured list, which is an unexpected positive development for the Brewers. The 30-year-old slugger is out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Giants with rookie Luis Lara in right field. He should be considered day-to-day moving forward.

It’s a bit unclear how much time Bauers is going to miss, but he’s probably headed to the injured list after fouling a ball off his toe during Monday’s series opener in San Francisco. He’ll undergo follow-up imaging to determine his potential return timeline. However, fantasy managers should brace for a multi-week absence, even in a best-case scenario. His departure from Milwaukee’s right field mix puts even more pressure on top prospect Luis Lara to perform until Sal Frelick (shoulder) is back from the injured list in a few weeks.

Lara draws the start in right field for the third time in Milwaukee’s last four games with Jake Bauers spending more time at first base recently. The 21-year-old top prospect, who is just 6-for-27 with one steal in 11 games since being called up earlier this month, has an opportunity to prove he belongs in the club’s everyday lineup while right fielder Sal Frelick is out with a shoulder strain. He possesses a fascinating blend of fantasy-relevant skills and could be an impactful contributor down the home stretch. He’s a name to monitor in deeper fantasy leagues.

Bauers broke the game wide open with his 391-foot (110.3-mph EV) three-run shot off of Andre Pallante in the third inning, increasing the Brewers’ edge to 6-0. His blast would prove to be the difference in the ballgame. Bauers also singled, walked and struck out twice in the ballgame, finishing the evening 2-for-4. On the season, he’s now slashing .268/.368/.505 with 17 long balls, 57 RBI and five stolen bases.