Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller, who was heralded as a future ace in the making, has been on the injured list to start the season and has not pitched at all this year.
Miller has been on the 60-day injured list since the turn of the calendar, rehabbing down at Camelback Ranch.
His injury is quite a scary one — he was dealing with shoulder pain entering Spring Training; however, he ended up suffering from back pain by the end of it.
The shoulder is one of the trickiest spots for a pitcher to deal with, followed by the elbow and then the back. Miller has been battling on both fronts over the past months.
Miller was a young star back in 2023, racking up 2.0 bWAR and posting a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts. Also, he pitched well for the team in the playoffs.
Since then, he posted an 8.52 ERA in 13 games during the 2024 season before being demoted to the minor leagues, where he has continued to work on things.
“Yeah. Obviously at times I wasn’t 100 percent (healthy),” Miller said. “It’s a learning process as well. There’s a lot to learn from the struggles that I had. I think I ended the season very well last year in the role that I was in (pitching in relief).
“But, yeah, I definitely look back, and I see the success I had in the big leagues and the failures I had. That’s something everyone goes through in their careers.
“They go through setbacks and failures. Nothing is ever given. You never have a set-in-stone role on a team. There’s always someone coming for your spot, especially in this organization that’s super, super loaded top to bottom.”
What is Bobby Miller’s future and outlook?
Miller has started a throwing program, and he is five weeks into it. He has started throwing from the mound again for the first time as well, marking another milestone.
He is seemingly feeling quite well after a long layoff.
“It was shoulder at first. I had some injections right before spring training,” Miller said. “It was pretty good. Then I had a setback with a back injury. But it’s all great right now. I haven’t had any setbacks since that. I’ve been getting stronger and stronger.
“Super confident about that. In catch play, I’ve been focusing on command as best as I can. My stuff feels great. Last week has been bringing everything in instead of just fastball-changeup. I’m spinning everything now.”
At this point, given the depth and talent of the starting rotation, Miller will not return as a starter but as a reliever, where he will try to earn the trust of Dave Roberts.
Miller still has a wicked fastball that can get whiffs, but his command remains his Achilles’ heel. He walked 6.1 hitters per nine innings last season in the minor leagues, and a WHIP of 1.55 meant that he faced traffic way too often.
A bullpen role in the major leagues could help cover these blemishes, though he will likely need to demonstrate improvements in the major leagues.
The relief core has been good for the most part this year, but after a set of underwhelming performances from a good chunk of the staff, Miller may have the opening to get a major league role and help the Dodgers in a meaningful spot.
