Bobby Miller injury: Dodgers place right-hander on IL with shoulder inflammation

The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed starting pitcher Bobby Miller on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, the team announced Saturday night. There’s no further word on the severity of the injury just yet, but inflammation in the throwing shoulder of a pitcher is a pretty scary situation. 

Miller, 25, was exceptional in his first start of the season, spinning six scoreless innings and striking out 11 against the Cardinals. He had a meltdown in the second inning of his second start, however, with the Cubs tagging him for five runs in 1 2/3 innings. He was then mediocre his last time out against the Twins (4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K). 

It’s important to note that his command was an issue in the latter two starts. More worrying, however, is the fact that he also lost some velocity after averaging 98.8 miles per hour with his fastball in the first game. He lost 0.8 mph on his heater and 1.2 mph off his sinker, respectively. 

The loss of command in addition to diminished velocity are tell-tale signs of an injury, so this isn’t an all too shocking development. Miller was previously sidelined in early 2023 with “mild shoulder soreness,” which impacted his MiLB start. 

The Dodgers head into Saturday with a 10-6 record, but the rotation issues are worrisome. 

Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are all on the injured list following major surgeries. What’s left right now in the rotation is Yoshinobu Yamamoto (first season in MLB), Tyler Glasnow (extensive injury history; has never gotten to 125 innings in a season), James Paxton (extensive injury history) and Gavin Stone (only threw 31 big league innings in 2023)

Buehler is on a rehab stint right now and is scheduled to pitch at Triple-A Thursday. It’s possible he’ll then rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation after that. 

Michael Grove and Ryan Yarbrough are candidates to take a start or two in the short term, or possibly be “length” guys after an opener. If they have to dip into the minors, Landon Knack would be a candidate.