Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Shelby Miller is reportedly heading to the 15-day disabled list because of a lingering finger injury.
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Miller Hasn’t Fully Recovered from April Issue
Friday, May 27
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported Miller’s trip to the DL. The move comes after Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale stated Thursday night that the starter never completely got over a problem with his right pointer finger, per Nick Piecoro of AZCentral Sports.
“I think his finger is still not where we’d like it to be after hitting it on the ground in San Diego,” Hale said. “He’s still having some residual effects of that with feel. He’s been good to pitch. He’s pitched through it. But we’ve got to make 100 percent sure that thing is not affecting his performance.”
Arizona showed how highly it thought of Miller during the offseason when it traded a talented package of players and prospects, including Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson, to acquire him in a deal with the Atlanta Braves. In turn, the team will lean on him in the years ahead.
He’s struggled during his first couple of months with the organization, though. He heads to the DL with a 7.09 ERA and 1.86 WHIP through 10 starts. The organization will hope those poor numbers were at least partially due to the injury.
The 25-year-old right-hander made at least 30 starts in three straight seasons since becoming a full-time major leaguer in 2013 with the St. Louis Cardinals. That durability is likely one of the reasons the D-Backs felt comfortable paying the high price to get him.
Strong outings from Rubby De La Rosa, Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray are now going to become more vital to the team’s success behind ace Zack Greinke. The team’s pitching depth really needs to showcase its worth for Arizona.
Having other capable starters also means the club doesn’t have to rush Miller back into action. Once healthy, he should slide right back into his usual spot in the rotation.
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