2 possible Brewers roster consequences of Garrett Mitchell's season opening IL stint

Some guys just can't seem to catch a break. It feels like that is becoming the case for Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell who got some familiar bad news on Monday.

It was revealed that the 2020 first round pick of the Brewers had suffered a fracture of his left wrist. As a result, Mitchell will start off the year where he spent much of the 2023 season for Milwaukee, on the injured list.

The Opening Day roster had been just about set as there had been confirmation coming out that certain players fighting for roster spots had secured one successfully, but now Mitchell's injury changes things. With him on the shelf to start the season, there are two ways the roster is most likely to shake out as a result.

Garrett Mitchell's injury could mean that catcher Eric Haase makes the Brewers' 2024 Opening Day roster.

It's not often that a player who has as blazing hot of a spring as veteran Brewers catcher Eric Haase has had doesn't make an Opening Day roster. But most of those players weren't in the same situation as Haase either.

The Brewers already have two catchers above Haase on the depth chart in William Contreras and Gary Sanchez. So despite his strong spring stats (.395 average, 1.333 OPS, 5 homers), Haase appeared to be on the outside looking in on the Opening Day roster battle.

That sentiment was made clearer as it was learned that fellow roster bubble candidates Joey Ortiz, Andruw Monasterio, and Blake Perkins were going to be making the Opening Day roster. Adding that to other roster "locks" seemed to seal Haase's fate.

However, that was before it was revealed that Mitchell would be starting the season on the IL, opening up one more roster spot. It's an unfortunate reason to make it happen, but it might be what Haase needed to actually be on the team come Thursday.

Garrett Mitchell's injury could mean that the Brewers still move on from Haase and call up outfielder Joey Wiemer when the season begins.

Last year, Brewers outfielder Joey Wiemer just missed out on an Opening Day roster spot in 2023 only to earn the first call up of his career one game later. It's not impossible that a very similar scenario plays out here in 2024.

Wiemer has already been optioned down to Triple-A Nashville to begin this season, which makes sense as he can get regular at bats while he continues to transition to a new batting stance. That's part of why Haase has the chance to secure the final spot with the big leauge club.

Prior to Mitchell's injury, though, it appeared that the Brewers were set to carry five outfielders in the season with he and Perkins joining Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and Sal Frelick. Mitchell's injury puts a kink in that plan.

Keep in mind as well that it's well known that Milwaukee was planning to work Frelick into the mix at third base. If they still want to do that and not just roll with Monasterio and Ortiz, who are both right-handed and don't offer much by way of a platoon, until Mitchell returns, then carrying a fifth outfielder like Wiemer might behoove them.

Fans will learn the full fallout of the Mitchell injury over the next few days. Let's hope no additional last second roster changes have to take place over that time as well.