Hawthorn small forward gun Nick Watson won't return this weekend to face Carlton as he battles a hamstring injury.
Watson missed last week with the Hawks suggesting his hamstrings were overworked.
"Unfortunately Nick won't play this week," Mitchell confirmed
"He ran on Tuesday. He ran at 88 per cent of his top speed, which is still quicker than most of us. Just from a confidence point of view, we don't feel like it's worth the risk with him. He'll miss one more and should be available next week."
Midfielder Conor Nash may also miss the remainder of the season with a complicated neck injury.
Nash hasn't played since Round 11 against Adelaide, and there are concerns he may not join the senior side this year.
""Nashy", it's pretty complicated," Mitchell said.
"He's got some sort of disc issue with his neck, which has caused him to lose strength in his arms, which is quite unusual. So we've had to go to some experts in Sydney through the week and he got some further treatment.
"He definitely won't play for a month. But once we find out there's improvement here, which according to this treatment, that could start as early as this week, which means he will be a month away.
"But, we have no timeline. Realistically, he could miss the rest of the season. I hope that doesn't happen.
"He's frustrated but there's a level of understanding of what's happening now, and we've got to the bottom of exactly where his lack of power and strength is coming from. The challenge for us, and him, is giving him a chance to get himself available."
All-Australian defender Josh Battle has been ruled out of returning against the Blues, while dashing defenders Karl Amon and Jarman Impey will need to get through training to prove their fitness.
Round 18 teams will be finalised at 6:20pm (AEST).
The Hawks will venture to the MCG to face a white-hot Carlton outfit on Saturday.
