Pitcher Shelby Miller on injured list with ulnar nerve inflammation
The Detroit Tigers shared bad news about Shelby Miller.
Miller, a veteran right-handed reliever, has been placed on the 15-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Sunday, with ulnar nerve inflammation. Right-handed reliever Beau Brieske was called up from Triple-A Toledo, taking Miller's place on the roster ahead of Monday's series opener against the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park.
The severity of Miller's injury is unclear.
"He's seen the doctors today," manager A.J. Hinch said after Monday's 6-5 win over the Marlins. "We'll do the standard view through things, and we can get films read by anybody in the country, so we'll do our due diligence and make sure he's comfortable with the program we'll put him on . ... We'll take it day by day and see how long it takes."
The Tigers also recalled right-hander Matt Manning from Toledo to start Monday against the Marlins, replacing unhealthy right-hander Kenta Maeda in the rotation. The Tigers optioned utility player Ryan Vilade, who had two hits in 10 plate appearances across four games, to Toledo to create room for Manning.
Brieske, 26, didn't make the Opening Day roster out of spring training, but he returns after 13 relief appearances for the
Mud Hens, in which he posted a 2.95 ERA with 11 walks and 22 strikeouts across 211⁄3 innings.
Miller, 33, carries to the injured list a 4.41 ERA, six walks and 15 strikeouts across 161⁄3 innings in 15 relief appearances for the Tigers. He has struggled throughout
his past 10 outings, with a 7.71 ERA.
The Tigers signed Miller, a 12-year MLB veteran, to a one-year, $3.25 million contract, which includes a $4.25 million team option for 2025, in the offseason. His fastball velocity averaged 93-94 mph for most of the season, but in the past two outings, it has been down to 91-92 mph.
The velocity dip is concerning. "Shelby has been working through intermediate soreness with some nerve stuff," Hinch said. "He had a couple of outings where the stuff started to decline a little bit, and he didn't feel great coming out of it. It was nothing that was bothering him while he was throwing. It was just sort of pre or post."
Miller previously underwent Tommy John surgery, a reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament believed to have a seven-year shelf life, as a starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 10, 2017, just over seven years ago. He also spent more than two months on the injured list last season, as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, with neck pain.
For the latest injury, Miller isn't eligible to return from the injured list until May 27.
"We're at the point in the season, as the outings were piling up for him, we're not going to take any chances," Hinch said, "especially when we have somebody like Beau."
Brieske, meanwhile, found his home in the bullpen with the Tigers in 2023 after working as a full-time starter in 2022. Brieske, whose fastball jumped from 94.3 mph as a starter to 96.7 mph as a reliever, posted a 3.60 ERA last season with 12 walks and 31 strikeouts over 35 innings in 25 games.