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When the New York Yankees traded Adam Warren to the Chicago Cubs, they had a replacement all lined up in Bryan Mitchell. Mitchell, however, will likely miss about half the season after fracturing his toe which will likely require surgery.
Mitchell has always been looked upon favorably by Yankees’ brass. Last season he was rewarding that faith until a line drive hit him in the face. In 21 innings before being hit by the line drive, he posted a 3.86 ERA. In the 8.2 innings after, he posted a 12.46 ERA. Mitchell was still highly thought of by Yankees’ management, and when they saw a chance to add a second baseman in Starlin Castro for Warren they jumped at it, believing that Mitchell could fill Warren’s role.
He rewarded that faith this spring by posting a 0.61 ERA in 14.2 innings. He allowed only one run, a home run, while striking out 11 and posting a minuscule 0.47 WHIP. He looked poised and ready to step into the Yankees’ bullpen and be rotation depth, just like Warren last year.
The fractured toe might sound like a minor injury, but it could be a huge deal. Mitchell will need to make sure he is fully healthy before taking to the mound again. If he pitches and changes his mechanics to protect his toe he could end up hurting his arm. Yankees fans will remember Chien-Ming Wang who hurt his foot running the bases and never pitched the same again.
Losing Mitchell is a big blow, especially when it is on the same day that Andrew Miller received a chip fracture on his right wrist from a line drive. Even though Miller says he will pitch with the injury, it already looks like the Yankees’ biggest strength is being assaulted by the injury bug just as spring training comes to a close.
The injury to Mitchell could open the door for Luis Cessa to make the team. Cessa came over to the Yankees in the Justin Wilson trade and has impressed this spring. He has pitched to a 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and struck out 10 in 10 innings. Cessa is already on the 40-man roster and is one of the finalists for a bullpen spot. He has been a starter, just like Mitchell, in his minor league career.
The Yankees do have a plethora of minor league arms to choose from to take Mitchell’s spot, but Cessa could have a leg up on the competition. They also have Ivan Nova in the bullpen who could easily assume the Warren role, bouncing between the pen and the rotation while the Yankees keep Cessa stretched out in Triple-A. In years past the Yankees would have been severely hampered, but this year they are prepared to weather the storm.
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