Wade Miley Goes Five Innings In Rehab Start as Chicago Cubs Return Nears

It's been an injury-plagued season for Chicago Cubs starter Wade Miley. After starting the season on the injured list, Miley made one rehab start with the Iowa Cubs in early May, followed by three starts in the majors before a shoulder injury shut him down once again.

The lefty returned on June 10, pitching three innings against the New York Yankees before re-injuring the same shoulder and sidelining him for a third time. Now the 35-year-old is in the midst of another rehab assignment, making his fourth rehab start, and his third in Iowa on Tuesday night.

The Southeastern Louisiana product turned in the best outing of his most recent rehab assignment, allowing just one unearned run over five innings, striking out a pair, and surrendering just three baserunners.

Miley can make one more rehab appearance if necessary, and the Cubs may choose to take it as the major league team currently isn't in desperate need of a starting arm. The Louisiana native also doesn't have a reason to rush a return after being on the IL three different times without the Cubs being in a pennant race.

Elsewhere on the farm:

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs (51-61) at Indianapolis Indians (54-56): W 2-1

The Iowa bullpen pitched four scoreless innings, with Nicholas Padilla picking up his first save of the season. The righty faced two batters, striking out both and lowering his ERA to 0.93.
Narciso Crook went 2-4 and had the only extra-base hit for either team. The outfielder has a season OPS of .898.
Greg Deichmann, acquired in the Andrew Chafin trade in 2021, had the game-winning RBI in the eighth inning. The lefty went 1-4.

Double-A: Tennessee Smokies (59-50) at Birmingham Barons (48-61): L 10-6

Alex Canario hit a three-run home run in the first inning, his 29th of the season. Canario entered Tuesday's contest with a 1.030 OPS over his previous 50 games.
Yonathan Perlaza went 2-5 and notched two doubles. The outfielder has an OPS of 1.370 in the month of August.
Jake Slaughter went 0-1 with two walks, a hit by pitch, and a sac-fly, bringing the 25-year-old's on-base percentage with the Smokies to .402.

High-A: South Bend Cubs (59-50) vs. Beloit Sky Carp (56-52): L 5-2

Pete Crow-Armstrong went 2-4 with an RBI in the leadoff spot. The lefty was named the Cubs top prospect in MLB Pipeline's updated prospect rankings.
Luis Verdugo did not reach base in an 0-4 night, snapping his 21-game on-base streak.
Luke Little struck out five batters over three innings in his High-A debut. The former fourth-round pick gave up two unearned runs.

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (69-40) at Down East Wood Ducks (55-54): W 4-2

Kevin Alcantara, one of two players acquired for Anthony Rizzo, went 1-4. The 20-year-old was ranked 91st on MLB Pipeline's updated top 100 prospects.
Ethan Hearn drove in three runs on a fifth-inning home run. The catcher finished 1-4.
Tyler Santana pitched six shutout innings, surrendering just two hits and striking out six. Santana is 11-1 on the season.

Transactions:

Two players were promoted on Tuesday. Smokies reliever CD Pelham was moved to Iowa, and South Bend reliever Zac Leigh was elevated to Tennessee.
Outfielder Andy Garriola was activated and assigned to the ACL Cubs. The Old Dominion product was the Cubs 17th-round pick in the 2022 draft.
Shortstop Joanfran Rojas was released from the ACL Cubs. The 20-year-old had an OPS of .715 this season.
Brennen Davis was officially sent on a rehab assignment to the ACL Cubs.

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