The hamate bone fracture proved to be a thorn in the side for position players in spring training, but one player is feeling it at the start of the regular season.
Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn suffered the injury and is set to undergo surgery. The procedure will likely keep him out four to six weeks, he told reporters Saturday.
Vaughn, batting cleanup on Opening Day, smacked an RBI single against the White Sox in the sixth inning before being lifted for a pinch-runner two batters later.
The 27-year-old told reporters Saturday that he felt something in his hand in his first at-bat when he got jammed on a pitch. But it wasn’t until well after the game that the pain became appreciably worse.
“Woke up in the middle of the, hand night was barking,” Vaughn said. “and I was like, ‘Something’s not right.”
Vaughn is expected to be a key piece in the middle of the order for the Brewers this season after he came over in a trade with the White Sox last July.
Before the swap, he was in the middle of a horrendous season with a .189 batting average. But the change of scenery immediately paid dividends. In 64 games with Milwaukee, he hit .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs and 46 RBIs.
The Brewers have called up catching prospect Jefferson Quero in Vaughn’s place, MLB.com reported. Jake Bauers, who played 40 games at first base last season, will likely be the replacement for Vaughn at first.
This type of injury is nothing new in 2026. In spring training, Francisco Lindor (Mets), Corbin Carroll (Diamondbacks) and Jackson Holliday (Orioles) all suffered the hamate bone injury. Lindor and Carroll were both ready in time for Opening Day, while Holliday started his 2026 campaign with Triple-A Norfolk.
