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April 21 update — The Brewers announced on Friday evening that damage to Mitchell’s labrum was more serious than initially thought. The outfielder is likely to require surgery, and that could put him out for the rest of the regular season.
The severity of the diagnosis surprised Garrett Mitchell. Here’s more of what he had to say. pic.twitter.com/QhSQNKUhf7
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 21, 2023
April 19 — One of the brightest spots in a young and athletic Milwaukee Brewers core has had his breakout campaign put on hold, as outfielder Garrett Mitchell has been put on the IL with a left shoulder subluxation:
Garrett Mitchell is going on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder subluxation. With Sal Frelick dealing with a jammed thumb, and outfielder Blake Perkins already on the 40-man roster, Perkins is up from Triple-A Nashville.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 19, 2023
This would have been an opportunity for top prospect Sal Frelick to get the call from Triple-A, but with Frelick sidelined, Blake Perkins has been promoted from Nashville ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners. The team has yet to offer a timetable for Mitchell’s return.
A former first-round pick of the Brewers back in 2020, Mitchell was once a consensus top-75 prospect in baseball, although he slid slowly down those lists after struggling at Double-A in both 2021 and 2022. Injuries in Milwaukee’s outfield earned him a call-up last year, though, and Mitchell surprised by excelling against big-league pitching, hitting .312/.373/.459 with two homers and eight steals in 28 games.
That cameo, plus a strong performance this spring, earned him a spot on the Brewers’ Opening Day roster, and the 24-year-old has taken that opportunity and run with it so far with a .259/.307/.466 slash line and three homers. If he can just stay afloat with the bat, the athleticism is more than good enough, as Mitchell has true top-of-the-scale speed that makes him elite both in center field and on the bases. Something like .275/12/35 isn’t out of the question over a full season — although Mitchell is still getting benched against lefties — especially given the new base-running rules, and he should be stashed in most fantasy leagues by teams who need a boost of speed.