Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller will be on the sidelines for a while with an elbow injury. Miller left Sunday’s game after experiencing tightness.
RHP to receive 2nd opinion as D-Backs mull rotation fill
Right-hander Shelby Miller and the Diamondbacks revealed little about the elbow injury that landed him on the disabled list on Monday, saying they preferred to wait until Miller received a second opinion on Tuesday.
But judging by their evasiveness and the general mood of the day, the news is almost certain to be bad. The question, it seems, is just how bad.
Miller, who left his start on Sunday after experiencing tightness in his right forearm, underwent an MRI and visited with team physician Dr. Gary Waslewski. Both Miller and manager Torey Lovullo said only that the test revealed “inflammation,” and they dodged questions about the structural integrity of Miller’s ulnar collateral ligament.
Whether the next step for Miller is surgery – a torn ligament often results in Tommy John surgery – or if rest or something else might be in order remains to be seen; Miller will first receive a second opinion from noted orthopedist Dr. Neal El-Attrache on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
“Not a lot of specifics,” Miller said when asked what he learned from Dr. Waslewski. “I just know that something’s not right.”
Though he didn’t address a possible timeline for a return or the potential options he might have in front of him, he also didn’t rule out surgery.
“I guess there’s some kind of chance, but I don’t know too much right now,” Miller said. “I’ll know more tomorrow, for sure.”
If Miller needs Tommy John surgery, he’ll likely miss at least 12 months; some clubs have been even more conservative in their approach toward rehab, giving pitchers up to 18 months to work their way back.
But a torn ligament doesn’t always require surgery. For some, rest alone can be enough, and in recent years more pitchers have been opting for other forms of treatment, including stem-cell injections or platelet-rich plasma plasma injections, both of which are said to promote healing in the ligament.
Angels right-hander Garrett Richards had stem-cell injections last year and has thus far avoided Tommy John surgery. Diamondbacks right-hander Rubby De La Rosa appears to be on the same track; he had two stem-cell injections last year and, by all accounts, his recovery is progressing well in extended spring training.
“I hope not,” Miller said when asked if he has a tear. “I think that’s kind of why we’re all gathering together, to kind of bring it all in and see what we want to do and where we’re going to go from there, and where we’re going to go in the future to get me healthy.”
The injury is the latest disheartening turn for a player whose time with the Diamondbacks has been disappointing from the start. After the club paid a heavy price to acquire him in a trade with the Braves, Miller had an awful 2016 season, pitching so poorly he spent much of the season’s second half in the minor leagues.
And the elbow issues come just as he appeared to be regaining his previous form; his stuff this season has been electric, far better than it was for most, if not all, of last year.
“It sucks,” Miller said. “How well we’re playing right now and how well I’ve been throwing, it stinks I’ll miss some time for however long I’ll be out. But I know the team will be all right without me.”
As for how they’ll replace him, the Diamondbacks didn’t reveal much on that front, either. Right-hander Archie Bradley looks to be the most likely candidate to take Miller’s spot in the rotation, but Lovullo acknowledged there has been some thought to keeping Bradley in the bullpen, where he has thrived through the season’s first three weeks.
With a full rotation coming out of spring, the Diamondbacks shifted Bradley into a relief role, and they’ve watched as he’s given up just one run in 11 1/3 innings in relief, again exhibiting the kind of dominant stuff that once made him one of the game’s top prospects.
Bradley said multiple times that he’s more concerned about Miller’s health than about whether he’ll be moving back to a starting role. But it seemed clear he’d welcome a change if it came to it.
Bradley’s fastball is up from previous years, an uptick that appears to be more than just a product of his role change. It was up during spring training, as well, prior to his shift to the bullpen. He said he’s curious how it would play in a return to the rotation.
“I would hope so,” he said, when asked if he thinks he could maintain it in longer outings. “I feel that way. I’ve only thrown multiple innings a few times, but against San Francisco and against LA, I felt like I sustained my velo pretty well.
“I think obviously I’d have to change a little bit, but the way I’m throwing the ball I’m not going to change too much. I’m definitely excited to see what would happen. As for now, I’m in the bullpen and that’s where we’re at.”