MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers MVP Christian Yelich took to social media Thursday evening to share that he will have season-ending surgery Friday.

“It wasn’t getting better. I tried everything I could,” he said in a video. “Ran out of options and it came time to make a decision… This was the best option that we really had left.”

Yelich was leading the NL in batting average (.315) and on-base percentage (.406) when he went on the injured list in late July.

But, he hasn’t played since getting removed from a game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on July 23. Yelich has been dealing with back trouble for the last few years. He's been on the injured list since July 24 with "lower back inflamation." Earlier this season he said he had hoped to avoid surgery, but it was not off the table.

Yelich has dealt with back issues periodically for the last few seasons. The back problems have continued this year even as he earned his third All-Star Game appearance.

“It’s part of sports. These things happen. You get hurt. You get fixed. You get back out there,” he said. “Try to stay as positive as possible about it. It’s gonna be for the best.”

The Brewers announced that Dr. Brandon Rebholz will perform the surgery in Milwaukee.

Yelich was having his best season since his first two years in Milwaukee, when he won the NL MVP in 2018 and finished second in the 2019 MVP balloting. He earned his third All-Star Game selection this season and had 11 homers, 42 RBIs and 21 steals in 73 games despite dealing with his back issues.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy has praised Yelich throughout the season for the leadership he has provided to a young team that has withstood numerous injuries to remain atop the NL Central since the end of April.

The Brewers won’t have Yelich to lead their lineup as they chase their first World Series title in franchise history.

Although the Brewers are in position to earn their sixth postseason appearance in the last seven years, they haven’t won a playoff series since 2018 and earned their lone World Series berth in 1982. The Brewers own the biggest lead of any major league team, with a nine-game edge over Cincinnati and St. Louis in the Central Division.

“It’s a great group of guys,” Yelich said. “They’re playing extremely well. I’m happy to watch them and see what they’re going to do. Hopefully they can win the division and get in the playoffs. And then once you’re in the postseason, it’s like who knows what’s going to happen? You get hot and it could be a cool run. I’m excited for them. We’ll see. Hopefully they can pull it off. I think they’ll be just fine.”