Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning of Sunday's game against the Washington Nationals because of tightness in his left hamstring. Yelich felt a twinge in the hamstring and was undergoing imaging after leaving the game.

"We're most likely going to get some bad news on Yelich," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "There is some fluid in there, so let's wait and see."

Yelich, the 2018 National League MVP and a three-time All-Star, was serving as the designated hitter on Sunday and went 0-for-2, hitting grounders each time before his departure. He entered the game batting .314 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 15 games this season.

Murphy said Yelich wanted to remain in the game. "We've just got to be careful with these guys. We're in April," he said.

The potential loss of Yelich adds to an existing injury list for Milwaukee. The Brewers are missing Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn because of hand injuries. Chourio went on the injured list just before the season opener, and Vaughn appeared in one game before joining him on the list. Starting pitcher Quinn Priester is out with a right thoracic outlet condition, and reliever Jared Koenig is on the injured list with an elbow injury.

Milwaukee lost Sunday's game 8-6 to the Nationals despite a tying three-run home run from Gary Sanchez in the seventh inning. The defeat was the Brewers' fifth straight loss after the team had won eight of its first 10 games. The five-game losing streak is the club's longest since June 2023. The Brewers did not drop as many as five in a row the previous season, when they won a franchise-record 97 games.