Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell has been on the injured list all season thus far after suffering a hand fracture during the spring. Reporting in early April suggested he was facing a timeline of about four to six weeks but it may end up being more than that. General manager Matt Arnold informed reporters this week, including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that the club is expecting a return around June 1.
It’s the second straight year where Mitchell has been prevented from getting into regular action. He debuted late in 2022 and hit .311/.373/.459 in his first 28 major league games, setting himself up for a prominent role on the 2023 club. But he suffered a left shoulder subluxation in April last year and required surgery, ultimately only playing in 19 games during that campaign.
Mitchell has provided above-average outfield defense and has stolen nine bases in ten tries while hitting .278/.343/.452 in his limited action. That has come with a concerning 38.3% strikeout rate that he and the Brewers would surely love to drop, which likely makes it even more frustrating that he keeps missing out on key development time.
So far this year, the Brewers have been using a regular outfield rotation of Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Blake Perkins and Sal Frelick. During the spring, the club was experimenting with the idea of moving Frelick to the infield but Mitchell’s injury allowed him to go back to his regular outfield job.
Arnold also relayed that reliever Devin Williams is looking at a return around the All-Star break. That roughly aligns with the three-month estimate given when it was reported in March that the closer had been diagnosed with two stress fractures in his back. Taylor Clarke, meanwhile, is looking at a late May return from the meniscus surgery he underwent on his right knee a few weeks ago.
Today, Arnold provided an unfortunate update about prospect Brock Wilken, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Wilken was playing for Double-A Biloxi last night when he was hit in the face by a pitch, suffering multiple fractures but no concussion. Once the swelling subsides, Wilken will likely undergo surgery.
Wilken, who turns 22 in June, was the club’s first-round pick last year. Selected 18th overall, the Brewers sent the third baseman through the Complex League, High-A and Double-A last year after drafting him. Baseball America ranked him as the club’s #10 prospect coming into this year while FanGraphs had him at #5.
This news is obviously a bit scary but Arnold says the long-term prognosis is good. Given his potential importance to the club’s future, the Brewers will likely be cautious in getting Wilken back onto the field.
Devin stayed quiet with his serious injury for 6 months
If he said anything he’d have healed by now
Players need to speak up
Ridiculous
He did complain of back pain, the Brewers medical team missed it. Only during spring training, when he went to an independent doctor for a 2nd opinion was the stress fractures caught.
He even tweeted something along the lines of “nice to get in front a of a doctor that knows what he’s doing.”
clearly brewers f’ed up too by not checking in with their #1 pitcher for months.
but devin’s an adult. why’d he wait til ST to seek 2nd opinion? i’ve had bad aches and pains myself. I didnt wait 6 months to take care of it.
its similar to rafael devers. dude’s been in pain with shoulder issues for a while now. never said nothing to nobody. sox didnt check in. he can barely swing a bat. keeps getting benched to “Rest”
just speak up and get yourself taken care of. these guys are competitors but grinding thru an injury is bad for you, bad for team, and only gonna increase your pain
I’d like to introduce you to the concept of human nature. The vast majority of people are hesitant to seek medical services.
@jeremy
Cool story bro
These are millionaire athletes
Their entire careers and livelihood depends on their health
If they dont pay attention then get the f outta the majors
Go to the mexican league & play for the diablo de los rojas for a can of corn
What difference does being a millionaire make? Some of those same people use banned substances to try and gain an edge knowing they’ll be suspended if they get caught.
Crew is playing at a very high level right now. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out when Mitchell and Williams come back.
Quero and now Wilken. 2 prospects that had a chance to get called up this season. The injuries this season are hitting the Brewers hard.
Wilken’s loss of developmental time in Double A likely means the Brewers won’t have him as a third-base option until well into 2025. That reinforces my prediction that they’ll sign Willy Adames to a long-term deal and continue to alternate Joey Ortiz and Oliver Dunn at third base. They’re a true contender now and have the money to add another big contract.
That money was likely earmarked to Quero which won’t be happening now. Wilkin may have been on that list. Miserioski is a consideration depending how he performs this year. Think the ML extention would be to Contreras. That wouldn’t cost a few 20mil seasons I expect Adames to gain.
Don’t mistake the early good start as this team being a strong contender. The way season is going the team will have 5 more starters miss significant time. Pitching isn’t exactly built with late season promise.
I would bet against them resigning Adames. He’s going to hit the market, and they’re not going to top the market. I like him, but he’s going to go where his best offer is. And Milwaukee isn’t the outbid other teams for long term deals types. They’ll go aggressive on contract types like Rhys Hoskins for higher values on short term deals, but they aren’t going to offer him the top deal on anything 4 years or above.
With Tyler Black coming through the ranks, and if Turang keeps hitting, those two and Ortiz will share the infield with whoever gets patched in at 1b.
I’m basing my prediction on slugging, on Mark Attanasio saying, “We don’t want to take a step back” during this rebuild, on what appears to be a unified sentiment toward out-finishing the Cubs, and on Adames’ team leadership. I’m not suggesting a lifetime deal but three years plus an option would be manageable. I’m sure the Giants would offer more, but Milwaukee has an easier road to the postseason than they do.
Adames isn’t getting $20 per with the Brewers. Not happening. He’s a solid SS, no doubt, and he may get that elsewhere. they’ll put Turang or Ortiz there.
The top 9 SS avg annual values are over 20Mil currently. Adames won’t be signing a contract without a 20M or more aav.
You can’t just put “meanwhile” in the middle of a sentence, MLBTR. It has to come at the start.