Jackson Chourio made the Milwaukee Brewers roster ahead of Opening Day and will make his MLB debut on March 28 against the New York Mets at Citi Field. However, one of the top prospects in baseball will also reportedly be playing through an injury for a long time.
Chourio, age 20, is going to be one of the youngest MLB players in 2024. Heading into the year, he was rated by MLB.com as the second-best prospect in baseball and FanGraphs rated him third among their top 100 prospects. After a fast ascent to the minors, Chourio is widely viewed as one of the next future stars in baseball with the talent to become a perennial All-Star outfielder.
- Jackson Chourio stats (2023): .283/.338/.467, .805 OPS, 22 home runs, 44 steals, 26 doubles
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Milwaukee was so confident in its top prospect that it signed him to an eight-year contract worth up to $82 million in December, a deal that also included two club options to make it a 10-year contract. While it’s a risk for a player who has never played in the majors, it speaks to the organization’s confidence in his talent. With that said, there is reportedly an injury that will require work all season.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Chourio has an elbow injury that requires daily maintenance and is likely to remain an issue moving forward. He reportedly suffered the injury as a 12-year-old in Venezuela while pitching in a national championship game.
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- Jackson Chourio contract: $2.25 million salary in 2024, $4.25 million salary in 2025, $7.25 million salary in 2026, $8.25 million salary in 2027. MLB free agent in 2034
Chourio has missed time in the past with elbow trouble. During the 2018 season, he was sidelined while playing for High-A Wisconsin due to right elbow soreness. It’s been an issue for him throughout his professional career and the Brewers’ medical staff will be working with him on it every day.
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to affect his performance at the plate nor has it diminished any confidence in the organization that Chourio can provide strong defense in center field. While it will be something to monitor moving forward, it certainly seems to be a non-issue for now as long as he avoids setbacks or doesn’t experience recurring soreness.
