Garrett

Mitchell

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.

Mitchell’s single, which came off Brewers teammate DL Hall, was hit 2.7-mph harder than his high mark as a major leaguer. He’s been brought along slowly this spring as he returns from shoulder surgery, but it doesn’t seem like he’s lost any bat speed. In major league exhibitions to date, he’s gone 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and two walks, with his one ball in play being a 108-mph grounder.

Mitchell had shoulder surgery in June and missed the remainder of the 2025 season. He was cleared for all baseball activities earlier this month and will now make his spring training debut. The 27-year-old will have a chance to earn a starting job in center field if he can prove that he’s healthy, but he has yet to play more than 70 games in one season at the MLB level.

Mitchell was eligible for arbitration for the first time despite being limited to 443 major league plate appearances to date. Just 78 of those came last season, as he opened up with a strained oblique and then injured his shoulder after returning, necessitating shoulder surgery. The Brewers can’t have much idea what they’ll get out of him at this point, but since they traded Isaac Collins and they don’t seem overly eager to bring in outfielders, an opportunity should be there for him if he can stay healthy. He’s hit .254/.333/.433 thus far in his career and racked up 3.3 fWAR in less than one full season of playing time.

It’s merely a procedural move as Mitchell will miss the rest of the season after undergoing left shoulder surgery earlier this week. The 26-year-old center fielder is expected to be ready for the outset of spring training. His promising career has been derailed by several shoulder injuries over the last few years.

The goal is for him to be ready to go next spring, but it doesn’t sound like that’s assured. Because of the shoulder and other injuries, Mitchell has played in just 141 major league games since debuting four years ago, though he’s racked up 3.6 bWAR when he’s been on the field.

A second opinion on Friday confirmed that surgery would be required to repair the issue. The Brewers are optimistic that he’ll still be able to return at some point before the 2025 season comes to a close, but a clear timeline won’t be known until after he undergoes the procedure.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters Mitchell, who is headed for a second opinion on the initial diagnosis, will likely miss at least 8-10 weeks following the procedure. The 26-year-old outfielder dislodged some of the anchors from his previous left shoulder surgery back in 2023 while playing in a minor league rehab game on Friday for Triple-A Nashville.

Mitchell was in the final stages of his rehabilitation process from an oblique strain. Murphy added that the 26-year-old outfielder will be pulled off his rehab assignment to undergo additional imaging after initial results were inconclusive. There’s a significant level of concern here since he underwent left shoulder surgery back in 2023. There should be an update on his status at some point in the coming days.

Mitchell could return this weekend or early next week after missing nearly two months with an oblique strain. Isaac Collins, who has been playing pretty regularly in the Milwaukee outfield lately, will lose at-bats.