Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder sublaxation on Wednesday. Now, Mitchell's season is in doubt after an MRI found "significant laboral damage" that will likely require an operation, he told reporters Friday, including Sophia Minnaert of the Brewers' television broadcast team. He will solicit a second opinion before undergoing surgery, which could cost him the rest of the year.
Mitchell suffered the injury sliding into third base in the tenth inning of Tuesday night's win over the Seattle Mariners (MIL 6, SEA 5 in 11 innings). Outfielder Blake Perkins was called up in a corresponding move.
Mitchell started the tenth inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a ground ball to first. He was looked at by the trainer and initially remained in the game, though he was in obvious discomfort after making a throw from the outfield an inning later. Here's the play:
Mitchell, 24, had been a bright spot for the first-place Brewers in the early days of the season. The rookie center fielder was slashing .259/.306/.466 with three home runs while playing strong defense. Mitchell was the No. 20 pick in the 2020 draft and made his MLB debut last year, hitting .311/.373/.459 with two homers in 28 games.
Outfielder Sal Frelick, Milwaukee's best MLB-ready outfield prospect, is currently sidelined with a jammed thumb injury in Triple-A, so Perkins was called up instead. Frelick is hitting .232/.318/.321 in the early going. Perkins has a .292/.370/.417 batting line and will make his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game.
Mitchell joins a long list of injured Brewers: Aaron Ashby (shoulder), Tyrone Taylor (elbow), Luis Urías (hamstring), Gus Varland (hand), and Brandon Woodruff (shoulder), among others. Urías and Woodruff are out longer term.
Milwaukee enters play Friday with a 14-5 record. They have a 1 1/2-game lead in the NL Central three weeks into the new season.
