Yankees Bryan Mitchell Begins Rehab Stint in Charleston

New York Yankees pitcher Bryan Mitchell has begun a rehab assignment with the Low-A Charleston Riverdogs after missing most of 2016 following toe surgery.

Promising swingman Bryan Mitchell saw his first game action of the 2016 campaign Monday pitching for the Yankees Low-A affiliate.

Mitchell made his first rehab start for the Charleston Riverdogs, giving up three earned runs on two homers during three innings of work in a 4-3 victory over the Rome Braves. He threw 41 pitches, 29 of them for strikes. He struck out two Braves batters and issued no walks.

The results are really secondary for Mitchell at this point. It is just nice to see him back on a mound after missing the first four months of the 2016 season following surgery to repair his fractured toe.

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This appearance will start the clock on Mitchell’s 30 days of rehab, so he should arrive in the Bronx by the time rosters expand, if not sooner. Presumably, the Yankees would use Mitchell in short relief at least through the end of the year, which might shorten the tuneup time he will need to get big league ready.

2016 looked to be the season when Bryan Mitchell finally established himself as an integral member of the Yankees pitching staff before injury struck in spring training. Three days before the fracture occurred, Mitchell had been informed that he had made his first career Opening Day roster.

Most pundits saw him as the natural successor to Adam Warren‘s 2015 swingman role after Warren was dealt to the Chicago Cubs over the winter for Starlin Castro. Even with Warren back with the Yankees, there is plenty of opportunity to establish himself for Mitchell to establish himself on the roster given the team’s recent bullpen clean-out.

Mitchell’s 5.31 ERA in 40.2 career major league innings may not exactly inspire confidence, but the 25-year-old righthnader has shown flashes of brilliance during his young professional career. He has a plus fastball that can touch the upper-90s, an excellent curve, and a changeup that could potentially be an average offering down the road.

A few freak injuries have cost Bryan Mitchell valuable development time over the last two years. First he was struck in the face with a line drive in 2015, then he broke his toe covering first base in spring training.

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At this point it seems unlikely Mitchell will fulfill his potential as a major league starter. He did put together 15 strong starts with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre in 2015, pitching to a 3.12 ERA in 75 innings. However, with his electric stuff, he could be an asset in the Yankees bullpen as soon as 2017.