MILWAUKEE — In an Opening Day shocker on Thursday, the Brewers placed outfielder Jackson Chourio on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left hand, retroactive to Wednesday, hours before their season opener and said he would miss at least the first 2-4 weeks of the regular season.
Chourio was hit by a pitch on March 4 while playing an exhibition game for Venezuela in West Palm Beach, Fla., ahead of the World Baseball Classic. He missed the first two games of the tournament but had been playing ever since, including both of the Brewers’ exhibition games against the Reds in Milwaukee on Monday and Tuesday.
But after complaining of recent discomfort, an MRI scan revealed a small hairline fracture at the base of his middle finger.
“I hurt for Jackson,” manager Pat Murphy said on MLB Central on Thursday morning. “He was looking forward to this Opening Day. He loved the WBC, obviously, but he had some pain when he would check swing and even throughout his work. So we got it looked at a little deeper with an MRI, and the MRI revealed that fracture. He’s going to be out a while.
“It’s actually begun to heal. We’re just worried that there could be further injury if he doesn’t take care of it now.”
Switch-hitter Blake Perkins, the last outfielder optioned to Triple-A at the end of Spring Training, was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take Chourio’s place on the Opening Day roster.
Asked if the Chourio news means Christian Yelich might see more playing time in the outfield, Murphy said, “I think he wants to play the outfield, and I think he will.”
Chourio, 22, is bidding to continue the historic start to his career, which began with signing a record-setting, eight-year, $82 million contract in December 2023 — unprecedented for a player with zero Major League experience. He became the youngest player to secure a 20-20 season as a rookie in 2024, then became the youngest player with multiple 20-20 seasons in ‘25.