Murphy Struggles To Fix Yelich, Contreras Slumps in 2026

Brewers Offense Stalls Again as Murphy Searches for Answers on Yelich and Contreras The Milwaukee Brewers entered July with a three-game lead in the NL Central. Two weeks later, that cushion has evaporated. The offense has gone quiet at the worst possible time, and the two names at the center of every postgame press conference haven't changed: Christian Yelich and William Contreras. Pat Murphy has tried everything — lineup shuffles, days off, mechanical tweaks, even a heart-to-heart in his office that lasted forty minutes.

Nothing has clicked. Not yet. What Is Happening With the Brewers Offense in 2026 This isn't a slump in the traditional sense. Slumps end.

This feels structural. Through the first week of July, Milwaukee ranks 26th in runs scored, 28th in OPS, and dead last in hard-hit rate among National League clubs. The pitching staff has kept them afloat — Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers have been excellent, the bullpen remains a strength — but you can't win playoff games scoring two runs a night. The lineup was built around two pillars.

Yelich, the former MVP still chasing the version of himself that terrorized pitchers in 2018 and 2019. Contreras, the All-Star catcher who broke out in 2024 with a. 281/. 365/.

466 line and 23 homers. Both are in their prime earning years. Both are under contract through 2028. And both are hitting below.

220 since the All-Star break last season. The Yelich Puzzle Has No Easy Solution Yelich turned 34 in December. The back issues that derailed 2022 and 2023 never fully resolved; they just became manageable. He played 142 games in 2024, hit.

268 with 16 homers, and looked like a solid contributor rather than a franchise cornerstone. That was progress. Then came April 2026. His swing decisions have deteriorated.

Chase rate up nearly eight percent. Whiff rate on fastballs in the zone — his bread and butter — spiked from 14% to 22%. He's rolling over grounders to the pull side at a career-worst clip. Murphy has moved him from leadoff to second to third to cleanup, back to second.

Nothing changes the underlying contact quality. "I see a hitter who's trying to do too much," Murphy told reporters after Saturday's loss to Cincinnati. "He wants to be the guy who carries us. He's always been that guy.

Right now, the harder he tries, the worse it gets. " Contreras Has Fallen Into a Different Trap Contreras's slump looks nothing like Yelich's. He's not chasing. He's not rolling over.

He's just. not swinging. His zone swing rate has plummeted to 58%, lowest among qualified catchers. He takes hittable fastballs middle-in.

He watches breaking balls drop into the zone for called strike three. When he does swing, the exit velocity is there — 91st percentile — but the frequency isn't. Opposing catchers and pitchers have adjusted. They're pounding the inner third early, knowing Contreras hunts fastballs away.

Then they bury sliders down and away once he's 0-1 or 0-2. He's seen the highest percentage of first-pitch fastballs inside in baseball. The adjustment hasn't come. "I'm not seeing the ball well," Contreras said Sunday, his locker stall unusually quiet.

"That's on me. I have to be ready to hit the fastball in. If I'm not, they'll keep throwing it. " Why This Matters Beyond the Box Score The Brewers' window isn't closing — but it's narrowing.

Jackson Chourio is 22 and already a star. Sal Frelick plays Gold Glove defense in center. Joey Ortiz has emerged as a legitimate everyday shortstop. The farm system keeps producing.

But the payroll structure relies on Yelich and Contreras producing at All-Star levels. Their combined AAV exceeds $42 million through 2028. If they're league-average hitters, this roster construction doesn't work. Milwaukee's front office knew this.

In other news: SC Lottery Powerball Results July 29 and Wings vs Mystics: WNBA Picks for Friday.

Which is why, they signed Rhys Hoskins last winter — insurance against exactly this scenario. Hoskins has been fine (. 254/. 348/.

441), but he's not a middle-of-the-order anchor. He's a complement. The Brewers need their stars to be stars. There's also the clubhouse dynamic.

Yelich is the unquestioned leader. Contreras is the emotional engine. When both struggle simultaneously, the ripple effect touches everyone. Younger hitters press.

Veterans wonder if the message is stale. Murphy's challenge isn't just tactical — it's cultural. How Murphy Has Tried to Fix It Lineup Construction Experiments Murphy has used 14 different batting orders in 18 games since June 20. He's batted Yelich leadoff (six games), second (five), third (four), cleanup (three).

Contreras has hit third, fourth, fifth, sixth. The constant shuffling sends a message: nothing is working, so keep searching. But it also prevents rhythm. Hitters need consistency to build timing.

The most promising stretch came June 28 through July 3, when Murphy settled on Chourio-Yelich-Contreras-Hoskins-Frelick-Ortiz. The offense scored 34 runs in six games. Yelich went 8-for-22 with two homers. Contreras had three doubles.

Then came a weekend series in Philadelphia against Wheeler, Nola, and Sanchez. Seven runs in three games. Back to the blender. Mechanical Work With the Hitting Staff Hitting coach Connor Dawson and assistant Ozzie Timmons have logged hundreds of hours of video with both players.

For Yelich, the focus is hand path — shortening the swing to catch up to velocity inside. He's added a slight leg kick reduction, trying to stay on the ball longer. Early results: more foul balls, fewer strikeouts, but also fewer barrels. Contreras is working on a wider stance, quieter head, and a trigger that starts earlier.

The goal: recognize the inner-half fastball sooner. He's hit two homers on inside pitches since the adjustment — both in batting practice. Game at-bats remain a different story. Rest and Mental Reset Murphy gave Yelich three consecutive days off in late June.

Contreras caught only two of four games in a midweek series against Pittsburgh. Both returned. and immediately went 0-for-12 combined. The mental side is real.

Yelich admitted after Friday's game: "I'm thinking about mechanics in the box. That's death. I know that. But I can't stop.

" Common Mistakes / What Most People Get Wrong Mistake: "They're just old. " Yelich is 34. Contreras is 28. That's not old for a catcher who moves well and controls the zone.

Contreras's Statcast metrics — sprint speed, pop time, framing — are all elite. His body isn't breaking down. His approach is. Mistake: "The shift killed Yelich.

" The shift ban helped him in 2023-24. He sprayed line drives to all fields. This year, he's pulling everything — not because of defensive alignment, but because his swing path forces it. The shift isn't the problem.

The swing is. Mistake: "Contreras is tired from catching. " He's caught 78 games. That's high but not unprecedented.

His offensive production in games he DHs (. 291/.