The Milwaukee Brewers have perhaps caught a break or two on the injury front this week, with Cleveland coming to town shortly after star José Ramírez was lost with a broken bone in his wrist and Atlanta losing star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. to a hamstring injury before the Brewers pay a visit this weekend.
But Acuña’s absence also opened the door for an old friend: Rowdy Tellez, whose contract was purchased by Atlanta. The former Milwaukee fan favorite has gone 0-for-3 in his first big-league games of 2026.
Tellez, 31, will likely serve in more of a pinch-hitting capacity, with Dominic Smith and Eli White getting more opportunities at designated hitter and in the outfield, respectively.
The Brewers will begin their series in Atlanta on Friday, June 19. Tellez, acquired midway through the 2021 season, spent 2022 and 2023 in Milwaukee, as well. He hit two home runs for the Brewers in the National League Division Series against his future team, the Braves.
Tellez signed as a minor-league free agent with the Braves days before the season began, and he’s spent 2026 with the Class AAA Gwinnett Stripers. He has an .850 OPS in 207 plate appearances in the minors this year.
Tellez split time with Seattle and Texas last year, and he was with Pittsburgh in 2024. He hit 55 regular-season homers with the Brewers during his time in Milwaukee.
Madison West High School graduate Drake Baldwin missed a month of the season with an oblique injury, but he’s back. All the way back.
Baldwin’s 473-foot leadoff home run June 16 against former Brewers starting pitcher Adrian Houser, now with the San Francisco Giants, marked the longest home run in baseball this season. Brewers catcher William Contreras’ 463-foot blast to center in Las Vegas is fourth, by the way.
Welcome back, Drake!#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/CGzdqByjrS
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 16, 2026
The leadoff blast didn’t officially enter the stat books until June 17 when the rain-delayed game was completed, a 7-2 Braves loss.
It was the 14th homer of the season for the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, whose sophomore season is even more impressive. He had a .931 OPS when he landed on the injured list, with a .389 on-base percentage. He’s leading fan voting to start in the upcoming All-Star Game, more than 300,000 votes ahead of second-place Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In fact, the only player with more votes in the National League at any position is Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani (1,165,133).
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rowdy Tellez brought back to big leagues by Braves; Baldwin also back
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