The Los Angeles Dodgers expected Bobby Miller to play a big role in their rotation in 2024, his first full year in the Major Leagues and second season with the club.
Miller entered the 2023 season as MLB’s No. 24 ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and he was quickly called up to the Majors due to the Dodgers’ desperate need for starting pitching.
He quickly proved he belonged, pitching 23 innings and allowing two earned runs in his first four starts. The rest of his season was fairly inconsistent and he showed he still had a lot of growing to do as a Major League pitcher, but he showed enough to be hopeful about his progress going into year.
His first start of the 2024 campaign only fed into that optimistic outlook and Miller seemed to be a prime candidate for a breakout season, which makes his struggles in the six starts since March 29 all the more baffling and disappointing.
The Dodgers have recognized Miller’s need for some sort of reset, which is why it was not surprising to see that he was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
The plan is for Miller to utilize this time to collaborate with the team’s player development staff to address what is causing the sudden change in effectiveness on the mound and continue that work in Triple-A after the All-Star break, according to Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic:
Bobby Miller is going to work with the Dodgers’ player development staff until the All-Star break then start the second half with Oklahoma City, Dave Roberts said. There’s no timetable as to when he’s an option for the big league club.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) July 10, 2024
Miller’s biggest issue has been an overall lack of command of any of his pitches. Not only in terms of throwing balls, which put him behind in the count more often than not, but also leaving pitches over the heart of the zone. His inability to throw his secondary pitches for strikes makes Miller extremely one dimensional.
He missed more than two months due to right shoulder inflammation, but the hope was he would get back on track once activated off the injured list. That has yet to happen as he posted a 9.87 ERA in four starts after returning to the team.
The decision to option to Miller hurts the Dodgers even more due to all the injuries that have decimated their rotation in the past month.
It is currently unknown when Miller will be back in the the Dodgers rotation, which leaves Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, James Paxton and Justin Wrobleski as the only starters at this time.
Bobby Miller still has confidence
The 2024 season has not been the big leap forward that the Dodgers or Miller were hoping for, but the right-hander made a vow to ‘bounce back’ following the ugly start on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
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