The Los Angeles Dodgers made another change in their bullpen on Saturday by activating Bobby Miller off the 60-day injured list and optioning Kyle Hurt to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Alek Thomas was designated for assignment in order to make room for Miller on the 40-man roster. The right-hander started the season on the 60-day injured list because of shoulder trouble that prevented him from pitching during Spring Training.
Bobby Miller’s mindset
Now active for the first time in 2026, Miller is looking to build on some momentum from his rehab assignment and erase multiple years of injuries that caused struggles.
“Definitely the healthiest in a while,” Miller said of his physical state. “When you’re playing every single day, you’re working out every single day, and it’s hard to feel 100% every single day. So you’ve just got to learn to deal with that and play through some soreness here and there.
“Like I said, when you’re out there and adrenaline takes over, you’re not going to feel much.”
Miller added he’s lost an estimated 12 pounds since Spring Training. He attributed that to an improved diet and putting more focus on conditioning as part of his training.
Once a former top Dodgers pitching prospect, Miller dealt with right shoulder inflammation in 2024 and was hit in the head by a comebacker during Spring Training last year. There was more shoulder trouble this year in addition to a back issue.
The 27-year-old said the back injury was more difficult to overcome, but he has persevered and now is ready to be more of the pitcher who broke out in 2023.
“I’ve had a lot of success here and I’ve also failed a lot here, so I’ve dealt with both,” Miller said. “The mindset this year is don’t be afraid to go out there and fail. I’ve been here plenty of times, I’ve thrown really good games here and I’ve thrown bad games here.
“At the end of the day you can’t go out there and be afraid to fail at the highest level. I think I’ve gotten to that point where I’m just going to go out there and not be scared to fail.”
Miller began a rehab assignment on Aug. 5 and went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in seven appearances (one start) for the Comets. He threw five scoreless innings over his last three games for Oklahoma City.
Like late last season, Miller is with the Dodgers to pitch out of the bullpen. It’s a role he previously expressed an openness to and maintains that stance.
“I feel like my stuff has played up a little bit better,” Miller said of the role change. “Just be in attack mode all the time is really the mindset out there. Try to get ahead of every single hitter and not get in a ton of 2-0 and 3-0 counts. Just try to get the hitter out as fast as you can and always be in attack mode so you can be available the next day.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
