After fighting through a lingering shoulder injury for well over a year, Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller made his long-awaited first MLB outing of the season over the weekend.
In the Dodgers' 7-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Miller showed flashes of the talent that won him 11 games as a rookie in 2024. Miller gave up just one hit and one earned run across three innings in his first win since August 2024.
"I give him a lot of credit for continuing to fight to be a part of this," manager Dave Roberts said to reporters after the game. "He could have easily cashed in the season. Coming out of spring training, he was hurt, and really never got any traction as far as health. And there was good, there was not good, and to continue to persevere - that says a lot about the character."
Miller looked shaky at the start of his appearance. The 27-year-old gave up a triple on the fourth pitch of his outing and allowed a run after hitting Dylan Crews . Instead of folding, Miller powered through the next two frames, going three up, three down in the seventh and eighth innings.
After the game, he admitted he didn't know if he'd ever grace an MLB mound again.
"I'd say earlier this year, yeah," Miller said when asked if he had doubts about returning to MLB. "But the way I started feeling lately, out of the 'pen with my last few outings in Triple-A, I really just started to have sort of like an 'F it' mentality out there. Whatever happens, happens. Don't pitch tense out there."
Miller appeared in seven games at Triple-A Oklahoma City on his rehab assignment, holding a 3.86 ERA. His promotion to the majors came at a time of uncertainty among the Dodgers pitching staff , with the likelihood of Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound shrinking by the minute .
Miller spent the bulk of the 2023 and 2024 seasons on the Dodgers active roster. As a rookie, he held a 3.76 ERA. However, he struggled in 2024, seeing his ERA balloon to 8.52.
Miller was optioned on Monday , meaning he will spend at least the next two weeks in the minors unless an injury allows him to return sooner. He will likely not be considered for the Dodgers postseason roster, but Miller will take any chance he can get.
"[The promotion] kind of caught me by surprise a little bit," Miller said on Sunday, "but any day to be in this locker room is truly a blessing with this team."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as Dodgers' Bobby Miller Thought His MLB Career Was Over Before Surprise Promotion .
