Spring training featured various battles to find a spot on the roster. The New York Yankees focused solely on the battle for who would be a part of the starting rotation. Bryan Mitchell made every effort to prove himself and he did.
However, Opening Day he found himself in the bullpen with the Yankees, not as a starting pitcher. Despite clearly winning the rotation battle among the likes of Luis Severino, Adam Warren, Luis Cessa and Jordan Montgomery, Mitchell would start his games in the later innings as opposed to the first inning.