Brewers chances to repeat as NL Central champs takes a big hit

The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t expect to start the season without Jackson Chourio. Nobody did. And this one stings – the Brewers just lost their best young player right before Opening Day. Said another way, the Brewers just got punched in the mouth before the bell even rang. Chourio was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured left hand, and the early expectation is he’ll miss 2 – 4 weeks. The injury traces back to March 4, when he got hit by a pitch in a Venezuela exhibition game. He kept playing.

MORE: Predicting the winner of every MLB game on Friday, March 27, 2026

He tried to power through it. Then the discomfort lingered long enough that the team took the step that matters – imaging. An MRI showed a small hairline fracture at the base of the third metacarpal. I’m not a doctor, but that’s not great news.

Severity Of The Injury:

Feb 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This is the kind of injury that sounds minor until you remember what hitters actually do for a living – grip, whip, absorb vibration, and do it hundreds of times under stress. You can’t fake hand health. You either have it, or you start rolling over pitches you used to drive.

And Chourio isn’t “just another piece.” He’s the guy Milwaukee was building early-season momentum around. In 2025, he hit .270 with 21 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases in 131 games. That’s legitimate power-speed production from a 22-year-old – and it’s exactly the profile that changes how opponents pitch, position, and manage innings. The year before that, he finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The résumé isn’t theoretical.

What This Means For The Brewers:

The replacement move tells you how sudden this was – the Brewers recalled Blake Perkins from Triple-A Nashville. Perkins is a useful player, a real defender, a workable depth option. Last season, he hit .226 with 3 homers and 19 RBIs in 54 games. That’s not replacing Chourio. That’s surviving while he’s out.

Milwaukee’s lineup just got thinner in a way contenders can’t afford early. April games count the same as September games, and if you start slow because your best young bat is in street clothes, it’s damn hard to get those wins back.

NL Central Chances:

Chourio will return – the timeline suggests mid-to-late April if everything heals cleanly. Though hand injuries tend to zap power (and linger), so I don’t love it for them, or the Central.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

MARCH MADNESS: 2026 Sweet 16 TV schedule, game times & dates for NCAA Tournament

NFL: NFL pushes back Tom Brady’s sensational return to football

SPORTS MEDIA: Sweet 16 announcer pairings & TV schedule for 2026 NCAA Tournament

ENTERTAINMENT: 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards winners, Taylor Swift leads full list
VIRAL: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce tower over 5-foot-3 Olympic champ Alysa Liu