Dodgers' Bobby Miller Suffers Another Setback in a Season Full of Them

Bobby Miller's season has been just shy of a complete disaster.

The second-year starter was scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday night. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times mentioned in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the team is being cautious with Miller as he had some adductor tightness following a bullpen session earlier this week.

Miller has already spent more than two months on the injured list this season due to right shoulder inflammation. He made four rehab starts before returning to the Dodgers. Across those four starts, he has a 5.71 ERA with just 11 strikeouts across 17.1 innings of work.

Bobby Miller was scratched from his triple-A start with OKC tonight

Per source, team is being cautious after he had some adductor tightness following a bullpen session this week
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) August 2, 2024

He was recalled to the big league club but the struggles continued and the Dodgers had no other option but to send him back to the minor leagues.

“It was a combination of an injury and a little bit of like that sophomore [slump], where you’re on the map, people know you, have a better idea [of how to attack you],” Dodgers pitching Mark Prior told the Los Angeles Times. “Our confidence is when Bobby’s right, we know he has a five-pitch mix that really plays.”

Miller made a name for himself as a rookie last season. In the regular season he had an 11-4 record with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts with the Dodgers. This season has been a completely different story, as Miller is 1-2 with an 8.07 ERA in just seven starts.

The sophomore said when he returned from his injury, his arm felt great but he had no idea where the ball was going. His fastball command as well as his breaking pitches all suffered. It turns out, he found his arm slot in his delivery had unintentionally shifted.

The Dodgers forced Miller to spend the last week before the All-Star break in Los Angeles to work on his mechanics.

“Literally within the first day, he showed me some new drills on how to stay looser when I throw and not tense up,” Miller said. “It just kind of had my arm feel like a whip again. That’s how it feels when I throw it really well.”

Miller saw an uptick in velocity during his first triple-A start on July 20.

“That was a good step in the right direction,” manager Dave Roberts said.

“It was good to get him out of the big-league environment,” Prior added, “of where he’s got the pressure of trying to perform.”

Los Angeles will likely keep Miller on the back of its mind as a September call-up but first, he’ll need to get healthy and start pitching up to his capabilities.