Garrett

Mitchell

Mitchell was held out of Friday’s lineup after missing Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals due to illness. The 27-year-old outfielder was pressed into duty after Brandon Lockridge left the contest with a scary-looking knee injury following a collision with the left-field wall.

We knew Mitchell had been scratched, but now we know why. The Brewers are off on Thursday and face a left-hander on Friday, so Mitchell could return to action on Saturday against the Yankees.

There’s no word yet on why. Sal Frelick is now leading off, Jackson Chourio moves to center field, and Tyler Black is in the lineup in left field.

Mitchell gets an opportunity atop Milwaukee’s lineup to face Arizona veteran starter Merrill Kelly, who has been hit hard in a couple outings this season. Brice Turang is back in the third spot after leading off five of the last six contests. The 27-year-old speedster has been scuffling at the dish recently, but this feels like a nice spot for him to turn things around. He’s always going to strike out a bit more than fantasy managers want to see, but Mitchell is an exciting power/speed combo talent.

Mitchell singled home Gary Sanchez in the fourth inning to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead, kickstarting a three-run fourth for the Brewers. In extras, Mitchell all but put the game out of reach for the Brewers when he doubled to drive in Joey Ortiz and Jake Bauers to put the Brewers up 7-4 in the 10th. Mitchell has four hits in his last 13 at-bats and has also drawn four walks in his last four games.

Lockridge has been playing through a minor hip issue. He’ll get a break in this one with red-hot Garrett Mitchell patrolling center field and Blake Perkins in left.

Mitchell put the Brewers on the board in the first inning with a two-run double. He then extended the lead in the third with a three-run blast off Luinder Avila to make it five RBI on the day with his first homer of the season. The 27-year-old outfielder is 6-for-18 (.333) with one homer, three steals, and ten RBI in the early going. His power and speed upside comes with lots of strikeouts, but Mitchell is a solid streamer against right-handed pitching in deeper leagues.

Just a few days ago, we were worried Mitchell might be squeezed for playing time after a very rough spring in which he struck out nearly half of the time. However, with Jackson Chourio and now Andrew Vaughn on the IL, he’s going to have some time to figure things out as the Brewers’ regular center fielder. Noteworthy is that he’s murdering the ball when he’s been able to make contact. He had a 59% hard-hit rate this spring, and his two hits tonight left the bat at 108.7 and 107.4 mph.

There’s reason for long-term optimism with Mitchell based on his elite bat speed and athleticism but he’s going through it at the dish this spring, batting .080 (2-for-25) with one homer, one steal and 15 strikeouts in nine games. The 27-year-old’s struggles aren’t totally unexpected considering shoulder surgeries have limited him to just over 50 games in the big leagues since 2022. He’s still on track to open the year as Milwaukee’s starting center fielder but he’s going to strike out a ton and might not have any appeal for fantasy managers right away.

Mitchell got the game started with a bang, crushing the first pitch thrown from Michael Lorenzen for a 462-foot (111.5 mph EV) solo shot. He then smacked a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning that gave the Brewers a 7-5 lead. Mitchell also drew a walk in the contest, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances. He’s off to a terrific start this spring, slashing .286/.500/.867 with a homer, four RBI and a 4/3 K/BB ratio. It looks like he’ll open the season as the Brewers’ starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, which makes him an intriguing late-round option from a fantasy perspective.