After a scary incident in which he was hit in the face by a line drive, New York Yankees right-handed pitcher Bryan Mitchell is making progress towards a return to the mound.
Bryan Mitchell passed all concussion tests. Played catch yesterday… Will throw bullpen tomorrow #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) August 22, 2015
The Yankees placed Mitchell on the 7-day concussion list on Tuesday as he was diagnosed with a nasal fracture after being hit in the face by an Eduardo Nunez line drive.
On Friday, the 24-year-old passed all his concussion tests and was able to play catch. Mitchell is scheduled to throw a bullpen session at some point on Sunday, and it is possible that Mitchell could return as soon as he is eligible to come off the concussion list on Tuesday.
This is good news for the Yankees, as Mitchell has been valuable as both a reliever and a spot starter for the big league club this season. He has split time between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the big leagues, but the young right hander has shown the ability to get outs in any role the Yankees need him to fill.
In 15 starts for Triple-A, Mitchell posted a 5-5 record with a 3.12 ERA in 75 innings pitched. Mitchell has made 10 appearances (2 starts) for the big league club, posting an 0-1 record with a 3.86 ERA throughout 21 innings of work.
It is unclear whether or not Mitchell will be added to the big league roster upon his return, but it is very likely that he will be part of the 40-man roster throughout the month of September.
