Headlines

  • Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow
  • Astros To Promote Brice Matthews
  • Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers
  • Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help
  • Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays
  • Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Garrett Mitchell Begins Rehab Assignment

By Anthony Franco | June 10, 2024 at 10:46pm CDT

Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell began a rehab assignment with the team’s Arizona Complex League affiliate tonight, tweets Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. It’s the 25-year-old’s first official game action of the 2024 season and opens a 20-day window for his return to the major league roster.

Mitchell broke his left hand late in Spring Training and has been shelved all season. It’s his second consecutive year with a notable early-season injury. The UCLA product missed the vast majority of the 2023 campaign after sustaining a left shoulder subluxation that required surgery. He was out between mid-April and the end of September, only returning for three games at the tail end of the season. Milwaukee left him off their playoff roster, presumably because of concern he’d be rusty after the extended layoff.

After a normal offseason, Mitchell entered camp as the likeliest option to take the center field job. Milwaukee moved Jackson Chourio to the corners and at least considered giving Sal Frelick run at third base. It might be tougher for Mitchell to crack the everyday lineup now.

Frelick has played all of four regular season innings at the hot corner, where Joey Ortiz has established himself as a productive player. Frelick is hitting at a league average level (.254/.333/.328) while playing all three outfield spots. Blake Perkins has earned the majority of the center field work by playing plus defense while turning in a solid .254/.327/.386 slash line over 211 plate appearances. Christian Yelich is having a fantastic season in left field.

Short of optioning Chourio, the Brewers could be hard-pressed to open everyday at-bats in the outfield. The 20-year-old has had a rocky first couple months in the big leagues, hitting .220/.263/.363 over 195 plate appearances. Owner Mark Attanasio nevertheless shot down the idea of demoting Chourio to the minors a couple weeks ago. “I don’t see where he’s going to learn anything at Triple-A,” the owner told reporters in late May (link via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy).

Mitchell is more than five years Chourio’s senior, but he’s perhaps even less established at the MLB level. Thanks to his background as a college draftee and the recent injuries, Mitchell only has 141 big league plate appearances under his belt. His .278/.343/.452 slash line is well above-average, but that’s driven by a .441 batting average on balls in play. While Mitchell’s speed and all-fields approach should translate to a high BABIP, a .441 mark is essentially impossible for any hitter to maintain. He’ll need to cut down on his 38.3% career strikeout rate to compensate for that forthcoming batted ball regression.

In less promising injury news, manager Pat Murphy told reporters this evening that starter Joe Ross had a setback in his recovery from a lower back strain (X link via Todd Rosiak of the Journal-Sentinel). Murphy didn’t provide specifics beyond noting that the right-hander won’t be ready to return next week as initially hoped. Ross has been out since May 21. He made nine starts before hitting the IL, turning in a 4.50 ERA over 42 innings.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Milwaukee Brewers Garrett Mitchell Jackson Chourio Joe Ross

Matt Carasiti Elects Free Agency
Main
Phillies Release Beau Burrows
View Comments (23)
Post a Comment

23 Comments

  1. Russell Branyan

    1 year ago

    My guess is the outfield log jam works itself out before Mitchell has to be reinstated. It would be nice to flip one of them for a starter though. Given Mitchell’s injury history, and how unappreciated Perkins is, I’d guess Frelick is the best trade chip

    1
    Reply
    • cwizzy6

      1 year ago

      The logjam in the OF gets “worse” by the day, I’m not sure 20 more days is going to sort anything out. Perkins would have to slump pretty hard to be supplanted by Mitchell since he is basically an unknown quantity due to his health issues. Chourio obviously will be given every opportunity to play. Yelich is set.
      All that said, a trade will be tough to get anything of value for. The Brewers need SP and they arent going to find a trade partner that values Perkins or Frelick the way they do. A trade just to ease up a log jam will minimize returns further.

      Reply
      • Russell Branyan

        1 year ago

        Bauers could be a dfa candidate, that’d open up alot of DH PA’S.
        I agree Perkins is more valuable to the Brewers than most teams because of the pitching situation. He is on another level in center w his glove
        Frelick I can see being moved though. I could see another team believing he can play CF doe them, which just isn’t feasible in Milwaukee, and Sal the CF is much more valuable than Sal the corner OF.

        2
        Reply
        • cwizzy6

          1 year ago

          Yeah, I dont know how long Bauers sticks on the team, but he is needed for the 1B defense since Rhys is a butcher there. Bauers is still batting with a 94 OPS+ and I’m not confident Mitchell will hack that even if somehow he could play 1B.
          Regarding Frelick, I think he will be the one moved, I just hope he can bring the return the Brewers are hoping for. He might need playing time in CF to increase his value, but he might have already shown enough there. Tough call.

          Reply
        • brewsingblue82

          1 year ago

          I would doubt that Bauers being DFA’d would be the move to be made to create a move for Mitchell coming back. That would take away from a 1B/DH mix, and would really not be an ideal fill for Perkins or Frelick, considering their defense and speed would be wasted on the field.

          Although they express their utmost confidence, I’d still bet on Chourio being sent down if they can’t get him in a solid groove, or if Mitchell has any options left, and I’d assume he likely does, he may just wind up being the one sent to triple a.

          As for trading from their OF depth, my guess is if any OF gets traded, they won’t be the centerpiece of a big trade, or it won’t be a high marquee guy like Luzardo. Although by himself he wouldn’t fetch much, Wiemer could still be packaged with someone as a change of scenery candidate for someone more in the middle of the pack. He’s not to far removed from being a top 100 prospect, so I’m sure there’d still be some interest in teams, just not likely as a top piece of the trade.

          Reply
        • Russell Branyan

          1 year ago

          Yeli would get the most time at DH in this scenario opening up LF, with the other guys cycling through there for rest as well.

          Reply
        • cwizzy6

          1 year ago

          Yelich has to be the 1B in 2025 after Hoskins is gone.

          Reply
  2. mustache101

    1 year ago

    I think Mitchell parks in the minors for awhile… no reason to rush him

    3
    Reply
    • Poolhalljunkies

      1 year ago

      He is 26 in a few months they wouldnt be rushing him so much has seeing what they have..dont forget these guys have a shelf life of value he wont increase his value to the team sitting in the minors at his age.

      Reply
  3. Whopper Head

    1 year ago

    Agreed mustache101, no need to rush this.

    Reply
    • Poolhalljunkies

      1 year ago

      Play him or trade him for much needed pitching this team has no chance vs the heavyweights without more pitching

      1
      Reply
      • cwizzy6

        1 year ago

        I just dont see any of our tradable OF bringing in a SP of particular value. It will have to be a substantial package.

        Reply
        • brewsingblue82

          1 year ago

          That’s the thing though, is that it’d be a package. So while they alone wouldn’t bring in a notable pitcher, in the right package they would. Even though injured, I’ve seen Quero floated around the rumor mill, and a catching prospect would definitely fetch something, so if there’s a Catcher and outfield needy team out there, it could line up.

          1
          Reply
        • cwizzy6

          1 year ago

          If Quero is truly on the block, I would first be working on an extension with Contreras to buy out some Arb years at the very least. Cant lose both.

          Reply
  4. pmollan

    1 year ago

    Frelick has an OPS of .662 and Chourio is at .626. Pretty sure if Mitchell hits at all he’ll be in the line-up everyday.

    3
    Reply
    • cwizzy6

      1 year ago

      Chourio has an OPS of .983 for the month of June with a 20% K rate and a BABIP of .286. Mitchell is absolutely not going to take ABs away from Chourio. They will stay the course that has them with a 7 game lead in the Central.

      Reply
      • Poolhalljunkies

        1 year ago

        Cwizzy..you are 100 % correct about chourios june stats…but lets not forget hes had 20 at bats in june so before we put him in the roy race consider the sample size

        Reply
        • cwizzy6

          1 year ago

          SSS, to be sure. But reason enough to keep him in the majors and not sent back to AAA. I honestly cant imagine the slump needed from him to send him down, especially absent any team slump or any NLC team taking a bite out of the division lead.

          Reply
      • its_happening

        1 year ago

        Chourio (and Frelick) hardly have a stranglehold on the OF spots. Mitchell hits in his stint in the minors, he’s getting at bats at the expense of someone (might even be the DH spot).

        Reply
  5. woodhead1986

    1 year ago

    What is chourio gonna learn at AAA? jeez idk, maybe how to get his obp above. 263?

    1
    Reply
    • cwizzy6

      1 year ago

      Chourio has an OPS of .983 for the month of June with a 20% K rate and a BABIP of .286. Maybe he’s figured something out. Small sample size, sure. But Mark is right. Theres nothing left to learn in the minors. Plus the team has a nice lead in first. Might as well let him keep learning in the Show.

      1
      Reply
      • Poolhalljunkies

        1 year ago

        Dude. 20 at bats in june…

        Reply
      • woodhead1986

        1 year ago

        Or he’s been largely overmatched and if he doesn’t turn it around, a season like this could destroy his confidence. Maybe he has turned a corner in June, but its very silly to say he can’t get more polished as a 20 year old with an ops barely over .600.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Astros To Promote Brice Matthews

    Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers

    Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help

    Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays

    Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu

    Trevor Williams To Undergo UCL Surgery

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Recent

    Lee Elia Passes Away

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Poll: Which Teams Should Make The Biggest Push For Jarren Duran?

    MLB Finalizes Home Run Derby Field

    Astros To Promote Brice Matthews

    Giants Outright Sergio Alcántara

    Joe Coleman Passes Away

    Dodgers Outright CJ Alexander

    Trade Deadline Outlook: New York Yankees

    Clarke Schmidt To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version