The Dodgers optioned Bobby Miller to Triple-A Oklahoma City this afternoon. Los Angeles recalled reliever Ricky Vanasco to step into the bullpen for the time being.
Miller was the Dodgers’ most reliable starting pitcher by the end of his rookie season. The former first-round pick and top prospect turned in a 3.76 ERA over 23 starts in his debut campaign. He entered this year as the arguable #3 arm behind offseason pickups Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Miller’s year could hardly have started any better, as he tossed six scoreless innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Cardinals in his debut.
Things fell off after that. The Cubs tagged Miller for five runs without allowing him to escape the second inning during his next start. Miller came out of his third appearance with shoulder inflammation. He spent the next two months on the injured list.
The Dodgers activated Miller from the IL on June 19. He has taken the ball four times since that point with dismal results. Miller allowed five runs over 6 1/3 frames at Coors Field. He surrendered three runs over two innings to the White Sox before tossing five frames of two-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Working on a full week of rest, he hit a low point in last night’s start against the Phillies.
Philadelphia tagged Miller for nine runs on 10 hits through four innings. He gave up two home runs and has surrendered at least one longball in each of his last four outings. Miller has issued three walks in every appearance since returning and hasn’t recorded more than four strikeouts in a start. Since his reinstatement, he has allowed 19 runs across 17 1/3 innings. Miller has walked 12 while striking out nine. Opponents are hitting .338/.434/.620 with five homers in 83 plate appearances.
That’s obviously nowhere near the level the Dodgers were expecting. Miller and skipper Dave Roberts each told reporters that the pitcher is not working through any shoulder discomfort (link via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). Miller has lost a bit of velocity, though, sitting in the 96-97 MPH range with his fastball after averaging around 99 MPH during his season debut. It’s possible there’s something amiss mechanically, although a 96-97 MPH heater should still have plenty of life.
Pitchers must spend at least 15 days in the minors after being optioned unless they’re recalled to replace an injured player. The Dodgers can bring Miller back up on July 25. That could amount to skipping just one turn through the rotation because of next week’s All-Star festivities, but Roberts said the team doesn’t have a specific target for Miller’s return. It’s not out of the question he remains in Triple-A past the July 30 trade deadline.
Miller’s demotion is another hit to what has become a rotation in flux. The Dodgers have placed Yamamoto, Glasnow and Walker Buehler on the injured list over the past few weeks. Glasnow is dealing with what seems to be minor back tightness and should be back in short order. The timeline on Buehler (hip inflammation) and Yamamoto (rotator cuff strain) is less clear. Los Angeles could welcome Clayton Kershaw around the end of this month, but he’s coming back from offseason shoulder surgery.
Gavin Stone, James Paxton and Landon Knack now stand as the top three arms in the L.A. rotation. Lefty Justin Wrobleski made his big league debut over the weekend and will probably get another start. They’re essentially out of other healthy starters. Ardaya reported last night that righty Kyle Hurt, who might’ve been a depth option, is being shut down after experiencing elbow soreness in Triple-A. The Dodgers will probably need to deploy a bullpen game at some point this week to get to the All-Star Break.
With a 7.5 game cushion in the NL West, the Dodgers have some leeway to weather a tough few weeks on the rotation front. They still have plenty of upside for a playoff rotation that could include Glasnow, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Stone, and potentially a resurgent Buehler or Miller. There’s growing uncertainty with the group, though, which raises questions for the front office before the deadline.
The Dodgers have already reportedly made an offer for White Sox breakout lefty Garrett Crochet. Chicago turned it down, but L.A. will surely remain one of a number of teams in that mix. Crochet’s teammate Erick Fedde is also likely to be traded, as are rentals Jack Flaherty and Yusei Kikuchi.
One of the most overrated pitchers in recent memory. Total headcase to boot.
no
Add in Ramon Hernandez and Bruce Chen, you’ve got a deal, probably
Is a 100 mph fastball for a starter overrated? If anything I felt that he was underrated in his rookie season
NC
“Total headcase to boot.”
Support your assertion
He was a top 100 prospect but never extremely high. Mostly around the 30s-60s. Seems exactly right for his upside. Care to explain your take or nah just mindless Dodger bad
WTF are you talking about? He isn’t overrated nor is he a headcase. He’s probably hurt and trying to pitch through it. Grow up, clown.
*Van LINGLE Mungo
baseball-reference.com/players/m/mungova01.shtml
Baron, I have a question. IF the Mets are buyers at the deadline, do think they would have interest in Nolan Arenado? Maybe if the Cardinals took Jeff McNeill in return?
No idea. How much is left on the contract?
$35 million per for “25 and ’26, something like $25 mil for ’27.
If you take him at his word, he isn’t hurt just having trouble with pitch execution. He should’ve been left in OKC to work on his execution there rather than in the majors. Same with Buehler, who badgered the Dodgers into moving him into the rotation because AAA wasn’t motivating him. He was getting hit hard at OKC. That didn’t change when he got to LA. Leave both there until they’re really ready to contribute at the major league level.
That’s a lot of wood for a declining player and much bigger than McNeil’s.
I wouldn’t do it.
Point taken. Thank you
Whoa, it’ll be good for him in the long run. Short term, it isn’t good for the Dodgers but hey what can you do?
Also, is it me or have the Dodgers been susceptible to giving up the grand slam recently?
Only after loading the bases.
What a coinky-dink!
From amazing depth to dumpster. Sheesh.. Bobby Cox used to say one could never have enough pitching…
what happened to bobby? showed so much promise last yr
The price for available starters continues to climb.
Their offense is a juggernaut but the Dodgers probably need to trade for at least 2 starting pitchers at this point
They also need to shore up their defense before the post season. It is mediocre….at best.
And now for your complete baseball analysis of this situation: those things have upside.
I’ll wait here for trevor bauer guy to show up
No thanks.
Poolhall: You will be waiting a very long time. Don’t hold your breath for the rest of the season and beyond.
Blue baron It was a joke about “the guy” who always shows up saying “sign tevor” ..stick around he will show up…i was not referring to the player lol
LOL
Dang, really? He can’t be doing THAT bad
(Checks br page)
Mother of god.
His ERA is higher than Blake Snell’s
And…Miller just became part of the trade package going to the Tigers for Flaherty 😉
Dodgers usually have good prospects, so I’m hoping Getz receives an offer he likes for either Crochet or Fedde. It’s not over yet haha!
Crochet only, please.
He is in for a long stay in AAA
Dustin May’s surgery was last July, but haven’t heard much about his rehab. I think he tried a September return following his previous surgery and was pretty bad, so perhaps they’ll just hold him out until next season.
If they let him pitch, he will probably come in out of the pen. I have no proof to back that up, just an educated guess….and that’s “if” they let him pitch at all this year.
Googling around it looks like May is shooting for August or September. There’s an article from June 24th that says he threw a “really good” and “very promising” bullpen session that week, along with Graterol who did the same.
The Doyers will need as many pretty bad pitchers in September as possible to fuel the annual implosion!
You can talk when the Giants are .500.
I can’t believe the Dodgers over/under on wins this year was 103.5. Based off what? 3 stud full time players, a pitcher coming from another country,a good/not great bullpen. Lots of holes
Had the “experts” known that they would have a M.A.S.H unit, I am sure they would have picked a different number. But, to your point, when Yamamoto and Betts were healthy, they were, in fact, on pace for a 103 wins…and that was with Muncy already having missed a month.
But I have learned that since the playoff format has changed, and so many teams can get it in now, the regular season doesn’t matter as much as it used to. Just get healthy before October,
Signing Othani was a nice luxury addition, but the Phils are really exposing LA’s weaknesses defensively, bottom of the order, and pitching – wise. Friedman nice to have another team make the play offs, but in this current edition is not advancing far.
Well losing betts and yamamoto is pretty significant so they were bound to take a hit.
Betts, Yamamoto, Kershaw, May, Gonsolin, Buehler, Graterol, Muncy, Heyward, Glasnow, Kelly, Grove, Brasier, Sheehan.
doesn’t explain awful bottom of line up and lack luster defense.
HS
Trolling, noted
Of course having 3 regulars injured explains a weakness in the lineup
This look by FanGraphs puts the Dodgers 8th in defense.
blogs.fangraphs.com/the-best-team-defenses-thus-fa…
Please present your equally comprehensive evidence
Muncy and Betts solves bottom of lineup woes. Bottom of lineup is not supposed to produce. Yeah, Lux, Taylor, Hernandez, Outman, Heyward all slow starts. Just need a couple of those guys to return to previous levels.
All “slow starts” should read all “suck”. There fixed it for you.
Not really. Baseball is a difficult sport to generate consistent output. That’s why results swing wildly over the course of a month, half season, full season and multiple seasons. Outman was third in NL ROY last year. Taylor has been extremely productive for a bench player over his career. Heyward was great last year. Hernandez has also been a solid bench option. Lux had a solid 2022 before being out for season last year.
Fair enough, but the slow start excuse can’t be used since it’s been over a half a season of sucking. Oh and Lux Sux and outman has been exposed and will now suck from here on out. Other 3 vets are decent bench bats.
TBD on Lux and Outman. Lux had a good 2022 season and was looking to build off of that in 2023. He may be a little rusty. He’s not going to be the star that he was supposed to be but can still be a productive player. Just needs to start showing results. A bit of hard luck this year while in 2022 he had better luck with balls in play. He needs to start showing more pop. Outman had a very solid 2023 and regressed. Walks down, strikeouts up, but also more hard luck. EV/hard hit % not too different from last year and line drive rate is up but BABIP down significantly. That’s hard luck. Needs to stop expanding the zone. Easier said than done but hope he can make the adjustments.
DBoyd
“Sucks”
What a bore.
Adios
All fair points. Good discussion. Too bad there are weak posters like CBeisbol that can’t even have a discussion.
The absolute greediest of pigs, of course they made an offer for Crochet. They spend $1B and literally have bought every superstar they can and it’s not enough. It’s beyond disgusting and of course they’re gonna buy someone at the deadline that they “need.”
If the Dodgers make a compelling offer for Crochet or even Fedde, I absolutely hope the White Sox accept their offer. Baseball is a transaction business don’t take it personal.
Yes, good teams try to get better, and bad teams sell. Welcome to capitalism. I take it you’re in favor of a hard cap and the owners making all the money?
Typical large market argument to keep their advantage, the owners making all the money. I take it you are content with the game dying in a lot of markets then like it has the past couple of decades?
On an even playing field, the massive local TV contracts of the large markets would be a thing of the past if the whole RSN fiasco was scrapped for a national MLB TV solution with the income equally distributed between all 30 teams. If there were a salary floor as well as a cap like the NFL, the players as a whole would be better off, not just a few players. Not to mention more fan interest from those around 20 teams on the outside looking in most years.
Of course, Robby the robot in MLB HQ in NYC is protecting his large market masters and will have none of this.
In what world would the players be better off? Also, how would a MLB national solution work? Who pays for it? The Rays have had one of the best teams for a decade and drew no fans. The Padres lost their television distribution and still have one of the largest payrolls in baseball. The Giants have a huge market, practically all to themselves and refuse to field a competitive team. The minimum salary in baseball is $750k. Then it increases the more time they get, but for 6 years those players are controlled by the teams, essentially giving the owners 6 cheap years of service. The players are then allowed to maximize their value as one of the best in the world at what they do. The fact that you want the owners to pocket more of that money and see it as altruism is egregious.
The NFL has true revenue sharing and the players get 48% of the revenues. Not bad for not having an actual ownership stake in the league. Floors keep teams from not spending. Caps don’t work without a floor. They have rookie contracts too, by the way.
More like good teams try to get better and bad teams try to stay bad and that’s not capitalism
You do realize that they have to trade their prospects to get additional players in a trade, right? They aren’t “buying” them. Crochet doesn’t make a lot of money, so any other team can afford him, not just big market teams.
About time! He is terrible!
So my first guess is the league figured him out. He is tipping pitches, uses a typical sequence, basically typical young pitcher mistakes that make a sophomore year less successful. With all the tape now it is easier for teams to pick things up. He didn’t make the needed adjustments so they are sending him back to AAA to work on it.
He may be hurt also. Pitchers arms hurt after they pitch. That’s why you see them icing the arm up afterwards. Sometimes it is hard to know the difference between hurt and injured. Most try to pitch through it before they say something.
The first time I saw this guy was the highlight they played on repeat of his gassing up Ohtani in spring training. After that, he was anointed the next big time power pitcher in baseball. I think unfortunately for him and many other pitchers like him, they are hard throwers who don’t know how to harness it and actually pitch. These guys also tend to spend a lot of their career on the IL. This just reiterates how tough it is to develop young pitchers these days.
He’s a couple of ticks down on fastball. He’s also lacking command, which causes him to fall behind hitters and also wild in the zone. Walk rate is up. The swing and miss not there like before since coming back from injury.
Bobby Miller and Gavin Lux for Jack Flaherty and Javier Baez.
The tigers would jump on that and every other team in the league would look to call the Dodgers to get rid of their ridiculous contracts and get good young players back in return.
We can dream.
Miller would be a nice get. I’m not impressed with Lux but if we could get rid of Javy! At least he can still play defence, has some speed on the basepaths and can play SS, 2B and 3B. He could be a bench player for them.
Don’t think that they’re trading Miller on a big downtick like this. He’ll get another shot soon. Needs to clean up command issues and check to see if anything wrong with him given fastball velocity down a couple of ticks.
Quintana or Severino, Ottavino and McNeil for Bobby Miller or Gavin Stone and a relief pitcher
The Dodgers are wasting their window. Dave Roberts is the Brian Cashman of managers.
Not much the Dodgers can do. It doesn’t matter how good teams are built with how the playoffs are set up. It’s a crap shot in the playoffs. It just depends on who gets hot at the right time. The best team rarely wins the World Series anymore.
Roberts manages Friedman’s roster with Friedman’s game plan and Friedman’s analytics. So obviously, any problems the Dodgers have are the fault of Dave Roberts.
They have three hall of famers in their prime.
And your point?
Most of the Dodgers’ players aren’t that great but Dave Roberts always gets the most out of them. Just complain to complain