The Mariners are activating starter Bryce Miller from the injured list tomorrow, manager Dan Wilson tells reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer). He’ll go opposite NL Cy Young candidate Cristopher Sánchez in the second game of their series against the Phillies. While Miller has been out for over two months, Seattle never transferred him to the 60-day injured list. They’ll therefore only need to make an active roster transaction tomorrow.
Miller will take an MLB mound for the first time since June 6. He has been sidelined since then by elbow inflammation. The righty received a platelet-rich plasma injection and was able to rehab without anything more invasive. He has made a trio of rehab starts with Triple-A Tacoma this month. Miller got up to 5 2/3 innings and 76 pitches in his most recent appearance last Wednesday. He allowed a pair of runs on two hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts.
Perhaps more importantly, Miller’s velocity has looked sharp on the rehab assignment. He’s averaging 96.4 MPH on his fastball, more than two ticks higher than his early-season MLB work. Miller struggled over his first couple months, allowing 5.73 earned runs per nine while averaging fewer than five innings per start. His 18.1% strikeout rate was down more than six percentage points compared to last season. Miller was one of the better pitchers in MLB a year ago, taking the ball 31 times and working to a 2.94 ERA across 180 1/3 frames.
Miller will try to recapture last year’s form as the M’s battle the Astros for the AL West crown. Seattle is a game and a half back while holding a 3.5 game cushion on the Guardians in the Wild Card picture. They’ve dropped five of their past six but have been aided by Houston losing four of their last six games. Miller will step into the rotation in place of rookie righty Logan Evans, who went on the IL with his own elbow issue last week.
Okay, but pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeze send Casey Legumina down. Especially after tonight.
They have to. He’s unavailable tonight. So is Vargas, and Kowar has thrown two days in a row, so he should be unavailable as well. They’re likely down 3 relievers.
To complicate things further, Miller can’t be expected to give more than 6 and he may go less. This isn’t a good situation for Seattle.
They absolutely have to option Legumina (or DFA him to make room for someone not on the 40 to come up). Kowar should be optioned as well.
You’re right, but the only reliever on the farm that’s excelling is Raeth, who just got promoted from Everett to Arkansas. Maybe you bring up Lau as a potential piggyback with Miller? Or, dare I say it, Casey Lawrence?
It’s not just ERA and Ks, it’s the quality of the pitches. So, it’s kind of hard to know who is doing the best and who the options are.
That said, it wouldn’t surprise is if Lao is one of them.
And Lao it is.
Because last years boring LA vs NY did so much for the sport???
The first two games were close (one being won by a walk off grand slam). While game 5 had one of the wildest World Series innings ever. Tell me you’re a large market team hater without telling me so.
Hopefully Bryce is okay, sounded like he was headed for the TJ lab earlier this year
Bone spurs.