The Los Angeles Dodgers place a strong emphasis on having enough pitching depth to get them through an entire season, and this year will be getting back two potential contributors in Kyle Hurt and Bobby Miller.
Hurt did not pitch in any big league games last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Miller, meanwhile, was limited to two MLB appearances while spending most of the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Hurt and Miller began their careers as starters, but over the past two seasons, they have been used occasionally out of the bullpen. Both pitchers are now transitioning to full-time bullpen roles in 2026.
“The role is going to be out of the bullpen, most likely multi-innings, I’d assume,” Hurt exclusively told DodgerBlue.com. “So that’s about it right now, that’s all I know. I’m not getting a whole lot of info.”
Hurt has shown a willingness to pitch in any role for the Dodgers and knows he will have to change his mindset to adjust to being a reliever on a regular basis.
“Yeah, as a starter, you have your routine, and you have it down to a T, and as a reliever, it’s a whole lot different,” Hurt explained. “You get a little anxious during the game. You don’t know when your name is going to get called. You don’t know what situation you should be ready for.
“So that’s one thing that I think I could always get better at in the transition from being a starter to being in the bullpen, but I think once your name is called, you have one job, and that’s just throw strike one and get that guy out.”
Although he didn’t pitch for the Dodgers last season, Hurt made seven relief appearances for OKC as part of a rehab assignment. He posted a 1.93 ERA with 10 strikeouts against five walks in 9.1 innings.
Bobby Miller joining Dodgers bullpen
Miller struggled across his time in OKC and L.A. last year, but felt he made progress as the season progressed.
“Where I ended the season last year, in the bullpen, I felt like I was in a pretty good spot, and I believe that’s going to be the role so far,” Miller shared to DodgerBlue.com.
“But my thing is what I’ve been saying, whatever role they need me to do, I’ll do. It’s anything to be a Dodger. So yeah, whatever role I need to do, I’m going to do that and do my best at that.”
Like Hurt, Miller has prepared for his new bullpen role by changing his mentality and routine.
“Yeah, I mean, that was kind of the tough part of the offseason,” Miller said. “I didn’t know what kind of build up I was going to have, but I tried to ramp up as much as I could, just in case I was going to be starting so I could be ready for either one.
“But yeah, at the end of the day, I guess the mental part is just coming into camp, outside of the health part, just not get too comfortable here. Know that your job is never 100%, so this is always going to be a stacked organization, and everybody knows that, and everybody’s competing for a spot.
“So you know, at the end of the day, it’s trying to do what’s best for me, but also the main thing is to help the team win. So whatever they need is what I’m going to be available to do. And I’m doing my best I can at it.”
Miller allowed seven runs on 11 hits in his two appearances (one start) with the Dodgers last season. With OKC, he went 3-6 with a 5.66 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 90.2 innings across 35 games (14 starts).
The Dodgers still view him as a potential option to start games in the long-term, but right now they are focused on keeping him in a relief role.
“I think with Bobby, we just got to get him back to pitching,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s still a really good arm. There was some shoulder soreness, so he was kind of slowly ramping up, and I think it’s just more of a short burst situation, and getting him to find some success again, get some hitters out.
“We know he can be a starter, but I think right now, it’s just kind of getting him back on the mound, getting him competing again, and then see where that goes.”
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