Yankees Activate Pitcher Bryan Mitchell Off 60-Day Disabled List

The New York Yankees announced they have activated pitcher Bryan Mitchell off of the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees deemed pitcher Bryan Mitchell ready for regular duty Thursday, activating him from the 60-day disabled list after four August rehab appearances. The team had an open 40-man roster spot, so no additional move was required.

Mitchell has gotten knocked around this month, which is to be expected after missing the majority of the 2016 season. He has a lot of rust to shake off, and likely the organization is not too worried about results at this point.

Three days after being told he had made the big league club out of spring training for the first time in his young career, Mitchell fractured a bone in his foot covering first base in a Grapefruit League game. He underwent surgery in April and only returned to the mound August 8th.

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Mitchell allowed 10 runs in eight innings across three levels (Low-A, High-A, Double-A) during his first three rehab appearances this month, although he did strike out eight and walk just one in that time.

His last rehab game, a start for Double-A Trenton, was easily his strongest. Mitchell led the Thunder to a 3-1 victory over the Bowie Baysox Tuesday, allowing just one earned run on three hits in four innings of work. He threw 73 pitches, 47 of them for strikes. He walked two and struck out two.

Presumably that was enough to convince the Yankees that the 25-year-old swingman was ready for regular action. He will join Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre as the Railriders fight to hold onto their division lead down the stretch.

Mitchell seems like a safe bet to join the Yankees when rosters expand in September. He showed a lot of promise as a short reliever last season before being struck in the face by a line drive. He wasn’t the same pitcher when he returned and his ERA ballooned to 6.37 on the season, but that number doesn’t really accurately reflect how good he looked during his time in New York.

The 25-year-old was one of the Yankees most dominant pitchers this spring, allowing just one run in 15.2 IP. He looked much stronger than either CC Sabathia or Ivan Nova, who were battling for the fifth starter job. If Mitchell hadn’t gotten hurt, he might have already established himself in the Yankees rotation by now.