The Los Angeles Dodgers are down one more standout pitcher.
The team placed right-handed starter Bobby Miller on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. The injury is “not severe,” per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, but a shoulder issue for a pitcher will always be cause for concern.
Dodgers reliever Connor Brogdon was also placed on the IL, with the team calling up pitchers J.P. Feyereisen and Nick Ramirez to fill the roster spots.
Miller’s injury interrupts what many hoped would be a breakout season for the sophomore. The flamethrower was one of the Dodgers’ few consistent starting pitchers last season as a rookie, posting a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts.
He looked like a Cy Young candidate in his first start this season against the St. Louis Cardinals, striking out 11 while allowing two hits in six scoreless innings, but struggled in his next two appearances, allowing seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Now, he’ll have to wait to bounce back.
The Dodgers already had a full rotation on their injured list with Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin all sidelined, not to mention Shohei Ohtani currently playing as a hitter only while recovering from a torn UCL.
With Miller out, the team’s rotation currently consists of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, James Paxton and Gavin Stone. Glasnow has looked fantastic so far this season, but the other three have been inconsistent with a 5.80 ERA in nine combined starts.
The good news is Buehler is nearing a return from a second Tommy John surgery, though he left his most recent rehab start at Triple-A after taking a comebacker to his pitching hand. He is reportedly fine and is scheduled to make his next rehab start on Thursday.
If Buehler isn’t ready in time, the Dodgers options on their 40-man roster for a rotation replacement include Triple-A players Kyle Hurt and Landon Knack. Top 100 prospect River Ryan is also at Triple-A, but would need a 40-man spot.
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