PHOENIX -- Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich took a step forward Saturday in his return from back surgery by playing in a game for the first time since July.

Yelich was the designated hitter for the Brewers' 9-4 Cactus League victory over the Texas Rangers. The 2018 NL MVP went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and an RBI.

"It was just cool to be out there, honestly, because it's a long road from the last time I did it," Yelich said. "Honestly, that was a victory in itself for me today."

The 33-year-old Yelich had last played in a game July 23. He went on the injured list later that month and underwent a diskectomy in August to remove the damaged part of a disk in the spine.

His back issues ended a season in which Yelich earned his third All-Star Game selection. Yelich batted .315 with a .406 on-base percentage, .504 slugging percentage, 11 homers, 42 RBIs and 21 steals in 73 games. He was leading the National League in batting average and on-base percentage at the time of his injury.

The Brewers could use a big season from Yelich as they adjust to the loss of shortstop Willy Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants after hitting 32 homers and driving in 112 runs for Milwaukee in 2024.

Yelich expects to be available for the start of the season. His presence in Saturday's lineup was a step in the right direction.

"I honestly didn't care what the results were at all," Yelich said. "Just find out where you're at and go from there. I thought there were some good things, some things that weren't too good. But it was basically how I expected it to be, and my body felt good. That was pretty much the biggest concern of the day."