Miller’s return to give bullpen boost

In the midst of a long road trip, the first-place Indians got a big lift Friday when Andrew Miller walked through the doors of the visiting clubhouse at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium.

The two-time All-Star was activated from the disabled list before the opener of a threegame series against the AL Central rival Royals, once again solidifying the Indians bullpen. Miller had been on the DL since Aug. 2 with tendinitis in his right knee.

“All good, and we’ll be prudent,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “We’re not going to run him into the ground here, but it’s nice to have him back. With (Tyler) Olson here, we can balance it a little bit.”

Miller is 4-3 with a 1.67 ERA in 46 appearances for the Indians this season. He was averaging 13.0 strikeouts per nine innings before going on the shelf.

Miller was acquired last season in July from the Yankees for four players in time to lead the Indians to the World Series. He struck out 30 in 19 innings with a 1.40 ERA in the 2016 postseason.

His roster spot opened up when the Indians put outfielder Abraham Almonte on the DL with a strained left hamstring. Almonte was hitting .222 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 53 games.

“This is one where the 10-day DL makes the decision a little better,” Francona said. “It’s not horrible. The 10-day helps you a little bit. Hopefully right before he’s able to come off, we can get him a (rehab) game or two if he’s ready.”

In other injury news, third baseman Jose Ramirez was out of the starting lineup against the Royals after getting hit on his forearm Thursday in Minnesota. X-rays came back negative.