Christian Yelich to have season-ending back surgery

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich provided an update no Brewers fan wanted to hear.

He's going to have surgery on his injured back on Friday, August 16.

"It just got to the point that it wasn't getting better. I tried everything I could," said Christian Yelich in a video he posted to his social media accounts. "Ran out of options and it came time to make a decision."
 

Yelich has been on the injured list since July 24th with a lower back injury. He had hoped that he could do a treatment plan and return to the team this season(Yelich not planning on surgery 'at this time' (cbs58.com)). Yelich went on to say this is the best option for him in the long term.

"It's part of sports. These things happen, you get hurt, you get fixed, and you get back out there," said Yelich.

In 73 games, Yelich is batting .315, with a .406 on base percentage. He's fifth on the team with 11 home runs and is sixth on the team in runs batted in with 42. He's also second on the team in steals with 21. The Brewers are in first place in the National League Central Division and have held that spot since April.

Yelich has dealt with these back issues on several occasions including twice this season.

In a statement released from the Brewers, Yelich says his expectation is to be "back at 100% for next season" and thanked fans for their support.