NEW YORK – Jake Bauers is dealing with one of the most relatable, common and painful ailments: shin splints.
The Milwaukee Brewers leading slugger in 2026 was noticeably out of the lineup Aug. 26 at Citi Field despite facing a right-handed starting pitcher for the New York Mets, which led to him revealing that he was diagnosed with shin splints in both legs Aug. 24.
Bauers has been dealing with shin pain on and off since late May, he said, but it worsened with increased swelling last week. He doesn’t expect to go on the injured list and pinch-hit the night before, but “doesn’t know” how many days off he will require.
“I would’ve played today, but they’re keeping me out,” Bauers said.
It’s not the type of injury that simply goes away over time without rest, meaning Bauers will be in a place of management and occasional time off the rest of the year.
“It’s an impact thing,” he said. “If you’re out playing you’re on your feet, you’re running around, base-running, out in the outfield. The symptoms just got really bad and got really painful.”
Bauers leads the team with 23 homers and an .884 OPS this year, a total breakout campaign entering free agency. His bat will be essential to the lineup come playoff time, which means it will be vital for manager Pat Murphy to manage his playing time the rest of the way.
“Just trying to find pockets where it makes sense to take a couple of days to try and mitigate the symptoms,” Bauers said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jake Bauers out of lineup while dealing with common-yet-painful injury