After missing all but 16 games, Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell is activated from injured list
Garrett Mitchell is back.
More than five months after injuring his left shoulder sliding into third base at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Mitchell was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Thursday with four games remaining before the playoffs begin.
When Mitchell underwent shoulder surgery in May, it was expected he would miss the entire season due to the six-month timeline that typically comes along with the injury.
But Mitchell expedited his rehab process and had fully resumed baseball activities by the end of August. He then began a rehab assignment Sept. 12 with Class AAA Nashville and played eight games there before their season wrapped up.
"From where we were April 13 to right now, that's a great outcome," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "To be back in a major-league game and on a major-league field, it's a real credit to how hard he's worked."
When Mitchell returned to Milwaukee on Tuesday for the final week of the regular season, the Brewers seemed unsure if he would be activated before the season finale Sunday, saying that he could still get on a playoff roster even if he didn’t get activated.
“We want to see what he can do," Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said. "I think there's no better way for us to learn about what Garrett Mitchell can do, unless we see it. That's important for us, to see where he is physically. We all know he wants to be out there and he's done an amazing job going back. So if it’s not there, it's not at any issue with him of his work or anything like that. It’s a good problem to have because we have a lot of good players and we're going to have to make tough decisions on the roster."
Manager Craig Counsell indicated the role for Mitchell, who was batting .259 with a .772 OPS in 58 at-bats before the injury, would be minimal, but his return to the roster for his speed and defense alone should provide a spark.
"Frankly, we’re debating Mitchell’s spot on a (playoff) roster and are using these four games to see if they provide any information as to what we may want to do," Counsell said. "This still is an injury – he’s healthy – but it’s an injury that affects you. It can be part of our evaluation on making a decision here. It’s not going to be the entire evaluation but we can use it as part of it."
Brian Anderson designated for assignment
In a corresponding roster move, the Brewers designated utility player Brian Anderson for assignment. Anderson, who signed with the Brewers as a free agent in January, had seen his playing time diminish almost entirely. He's played in just four games since Aug. 16, and that includes Wednesday, when he started and collected two hits with a double and run scored in Milwaukee's 3-2 win over St. Louis.
It was the first game the club had played since clinching the division title, leaving nothing else to play for in terms of the postseason picture.
"I don't think he did anything wrong," Arnold said. "I think it was just the reality of the other guys played well, whether it was (Andruw) Monasterio, (Josh) Donaldson, etc. Those guys just have have done a good job. That's the hard part, when you have to make tough decisions on good teams, sometimes there are guys that don't get as much playing time. That's kind of how that worked out."
Anderson opened the season on fire, playing both third base and right field. Through the first 30 games, he had five homers, 20 RBIs and an .805 OPS, and he remained a regular starter until a lower back injury sidelined him in July.
For the season, he finished with nine homers, 40 RBIs and a .678 OPS.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Garrett Mitchell returns to Brewers, Brian Anderson DFA'd
