On Sunday, news broke that Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich will not be taking his MLB-leading 31 home runs to the Home Run Derby. A back injury is keeping him out of the action, and Yelich will be replaced by Matt Chapman of the Oakland Athletics.
After a few hours, Yelich himself shared on social media that he is “extremely disappointed to not be able to participate” in the Home Run Derby Monday. He shared it’s “always been a dream but unfortunately things don’t always go your way and I’m not physically able.”
Yelich also apologized “if anybody was let down” and said he hoped to participate in the Home Run Derby at some point in the future.
As fun as it would have been to see Yelich’s sweet swing during the Home Run Derby, he’s doing right by himself and his teammates to sit this one out. Exhibition feats of strength and skill pale in comparison to games that actually matter.