Christian Yelich is named National League player of the week for the second time

ST. LOUIS - After putting together a home stand for the ages, Christian Yelich was named the National League's player of the week Monday.

The Milwaukee Brewers rightfielder hit .417 with an on-base percentage of .533 and OPS of 1.417 to go with eight home runs, 16 RBI and nine runs scored as the Brewers went 3-4 against the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers.

He would have had a ninth homer, too, if the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger hadn't robbed him at the wall Sunday.

Yelich did much of his damage in the series opener against the Cardinals on April 15, when he tied a franchise record by homering three times while also driving in seven runs.

Entering another series opener against the Cardinals on Monday – this time at Busch Stadium – Yelich was hitting .353 with a major-league-leading 13 homers and 31 RBI.

His 13 homers are tied with Prince Fielder (2007) for the most in any month in franchise history, and his 31 RBI set a franchise mark for March/April.

It's the second player of the week honor this season for Yelich, who became the first player to win the award twice before May since Matt Kemp with the Dodgers in 2012.

Yelich came into Monday hitting .500 with eight homers, 19 RBI and 10 runs scored in seven games against the Cardinals while also compiling a .625 on-base percentage and OPS of 2.167.

Roster moves

The Brewers made several roster moves before Monday's game.

The most obvious was recalling right-hander Adrian Houser from Class AAA San Antonio. He was to make his major-league debut as a starter opposite Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty on Monday night.

Right-hander Jake Petricka was also brought back from San Antonio, with left-hander Donnie Hart being optioned back there after pitching 1⅓ innings out of the bullpen Sunday.

Also, right-hander Junior Guerra was placed on the bereavement list. That move leaves the Brewers without one of their most reliable relievers (1-0, 1.38 earned run average, 1.00 WHIP in 10 appearances and 13 innings).

"His father is not in good health, so he started the journey to Venezuela last night," manager Craig Counsell said. "It's going to take him quite a while to get home.

"He will likely miss this series and rejoin us in New York. He needed to go home, and I'm glad he's able to go home."

Counsell indicated he's comfortable with where the bullpen stands, despite the moving parts.

"I think a bunch of guys have stepped up when needed, and I feel like we have a bunch of choices," he said. "Matt Albers has pitched very well. He's given up some runs but I think he's throwing the ball really well. I think Jacob Barnes is throwing the ball really well.

"I think it's time for (Jeremy Jeffress) to move along a little bit here, too. We're in good shape, and I'm happy with what's going on out there. We sent Donnie Hart out, but he'll be back at points this year, I think we know that. He's shown us he can be an effective weapon against left-handed hitters.

"I think when we get some left-handed teams, having that next guy to give Alex (Claudio) or Josh (Hader) an extra day off is a nice thing to have."

Nelson progressing

Jimmy Nelson took another step forward in his journey back to the Brewers on Monday, throwing about 70 pitches over five innings in extended spring training in Arizona.

"Everything went great with Jimmy," said Counsell. "One hit, two walks, eight strikeouts. It was a good outing."

Nelson, recovering from 2017 shoulder reconstruction, had to pause his program at the end of spring training after getting a cortisone shot in his right elbow. He pitched in two Cactus League games for the Brewers and then made a start in a minor-league game.

It was after that start that Nelson experienced the sore elbow.

Assuming Nelson experiences no setbacks after his latest outing, all signs point to the right-hander joining San Antonio and starting games there as a final step before returning to the Brewers.

"We'll probably wait a couple days to see how he recovers from this, and then make a decision," said president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Counsell added the plan was for Freddy Peralta (shoulder) to throw a light bullpen session in St. Louis. He has been on the injured list since last week.

"Today's an important day for our pitching," Counsell said. "We've got Adrian starting, Jimmy throwing and then Corbin (Burnes) is throwing tonight (for San Antonio) in Nashville."