Why Brewers' Garrett Mitchell Was Last-Second Scratch on Wednesday

The Brewers will go with

Apr 19, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) celebrates against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

In a strange, rain-shortened series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Milwaukee Brewers made a last-minute change to their Wednesday lineup.

With a first pitch set for noon local time in St. Louis, the Brewers originally had Garrett Mitchell slated to bat leadoff and play center field. With under an hour to go before first pitch, there was a change in plans.

Mitchell was scratched from the lineup. Sal Frelick was bumped up from the seventh spot in the order to lead off. Jackson Chourio moved from left field to center, while Tyler Black was taken off the bench to bat seventh and play left.

Fortunately for the Brewers and the Milwaukee fan base, it appears Mitchell's absense wasn't injury-related, nor cause for any long-term concern.

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Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) hits a ground ball to score a run during the fourth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday, April 25, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to a report from Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the Brewers announced that Mitchell's absence was due to illness. With a bit of luck, he should be ready to go for Milwaukee's series opener on Friday when they host the surging New York Yankees.

Mitchell was 2-for-5 with a walk and an RBI in his previous matchups against Cardinals starter Andre Pallante, so his presence in the lineup definitely would have been welcome. But if it's just a one-game absence (or less, since we don't know if he might be able to come in later in the game), the Brewers will certainly take it.

After Tuesday's game between the Cardinals and Brewers was rained out, it felt as though this series was practically over before it began. St. Louis took the opener, 6-3, on Monday night. The 21-14 Cardinals have been one of the surprise teams of this season so far across Major League Baseball, while the 18-16 Brewers have been mostly treading water with several key players missing.

Some of those previous injuries, particularly to key hitters like Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, and Christian Yelich, likely provided some Brewers fans with some scar tissue-related stress when Mitchell's absence was first announced. But non-injury news is almost always better than the alternative.