The Los Angeles Dodgers have been without Bobby Miller since April, and it seems they will have to wait just a little bit longer before he is fully ready to return to the rotation.
Miller’s injury is an unfortunate bump in the road for what the Dodgers still hope can be a productive sophomore season for the young right-hander, but the team has been able to withstand his loss thanks to the moves they made in the offseason and an elite bullpen.
Entering Tuesday, the Dodgers have a top-10 rotation and the second-best bullpen that combined gives them the fourth-best staff ERA in the Majors. Despite all their success, having Miller back to contribute and continue to develop is invaluable and raises the ceiling of what the Dodgers’ rotation can be.
However, his return is going to have to wait until he completes one more rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“Bobby is throwing Thursday at Sugar Land for our OKC team,” Roberts said. “So if all goes well, this should be his last one.”
Assuming everything goes according to plan, Miller would be joining the Dodgers once again after completing this fourth rehab start of his assignment.
Concerns regarding Miller’s recovery came up after a noticeable dip in fastball velocity during his second rehab start, but he quickly quieted those concerns in his next outing.
Whenever he does return, the question of how the Dodgers’ rotation will change to accommodate him needs to be answered.
A switch to a six-man rotation reportedly is something that the organization is considering and is the most intriguing option.
Bobby Miller’s stats from rehab assignment
During his three starts in the minors so far, Miller has a 5.40 ERA, 18 strikeouts, and six walks in 11.2 innings. It was a bit of a struggle for Miller early on, but rehab statistics aren’t something to put a lot of stock into.
Even so, he looked a lot better in his third start as he went four innings and only gave up one earned run.
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!
