Bobby Miller will return to the Dodgers rotation next week. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that LA will return Miller to the 15-day injured list to start against the Rockies on Wednesday (X link via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). He's not the only Dodger pitcher who will be making a notable start that night. Clayton Kershaw he will make his first appearance again with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday.
Miller has been sidelined for more than two months. The second-year righty took the ball three times before going to the shelf with shoulder inflammation. He started training on May 26 and has started four games for the minors. Miller did poorly in that assignment, allowing 14 runs over 15 innings. He pitched 4 2/3 innings and 93 pitches for Triple-A Oklahoma City yesterday.
A former first-round pick, Miller emerged as the Dodgers' top starter in the second half of his rookie season. He turned in a 3.76 ERA with a solid 23.6% strikeout rate in his first 22 starts. He recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Cardinals to start his second season, but the Cubs scored five runs over 1 2/3 frames in his second outing. Miller pitched four innings of two-run ball against the Twins before the injury.
The Dodger's rotation kept them out of the postseason, contributing to their sweep at the hands of the D-Backs in the Division Series. The front office overhauled this team over the winter. The Dodgers signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a deal to record the pitcher shortly after the buyout and extension Tyler Glasnow. They entered James Paxton later in the offseason.
Those three each have an earned run average between 3.00 and 4.00 on the season. Glasnow and Yamamoto have been excellent, putting up huge strikeout rates with a combined command. Paxton's peripherals are very loose, as he has walked 12.6% of batters against a below-average 13.8% strikeout rate.
Gavin Stone he has stepped up in Miller's absence, working to a 2.93 ERA over 67 2/3 innings. Walker Buehler he has assembled the starting staff since returning from Tommy John surgery. Buehler showed some rust in his first seven starts, allowing 4.64 earned runs per nine innings with a 19.7% slugging percentage.
No one from that quintet will be eliminated from the rotation. Roberts said the Dodgers will move to a six-man rotation “for the time being” if Miller returns (link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Los Angeles is three games in a 12-day span. The Dodgers are already shuffling their rotation this week to get a few more days off for Yamamoto and Glasnow, so they'll welcome the chance to get their starters a little breather. That will come with the depth of their bullpen, as they will need to go to a seven-man relief team to meet the 13-pitcher limit on the active roster.
The Dodgers could welcome Kershaw back into the fold a few weeks from now. Three-time champion Cy Young had shoulder surgery in early November. Next week's appearance will be his first game action of 2024. That could get him back into the MLB rotation at the All-Star Break.
Kershaw worked to a 2.46 ERA over 24 regular season starts last year. His speed evaporated when he went down with an injured shoulder, however, resulting in a disastrous outing in his lone playoff start. He officially re-signed with LA in February in an incentive-laden deal that guaranteed him $10MM. Kershaw makes a $5MM base salary and could earn an additional $7.5MM in performance bonuses if he reaches 10 starts. He has a $5MM player option for next year that could increase to $20MM if he makes 10 starts in 2024. That still seems within reach as Kershaw is trending toward a July comeback.
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