PHILADELPHIA — After watching the worst start of his major-league career on Tuesday night, the Dodgers decided there was no place for Bobby Miller in their starting rotation – even depleted as it is.
The 25-year-old right-hander was optioned to the minor leagues on Wednesday.
“No. 1, we got to get him right,” Roberts said. “That’s the impetus. And what’s the best way to get him right mentally, emotionally and mechanically.
“You have a path to either continue to go as we have been, and hope that it turns – or remove him from the situation, option him, and give him a reset to get out of this hot box of performance. So we just felt this was the best thing for Bobby and for us. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do this year, so we just felt that’s the best thing to do.”
The plan is for Miller to spend the All-Star break working with Director of Pitching Rob Hill and make one or more starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City after the break before, hopefully, rejoining the Dodgers’ rotation as a better version of himself than the one who has an 8.07 ERA after seven starts this season.
Miller spent two months sidelined with a shoulder injury but he and the Dodgers are confident he is healthy. So Hill and the Dodgers’ staff have to “figure out what’s wrong” and fix it.
“Even last night, there were some good curveballs in there, but not consistent enough,” Roberts said. “There was a couple good changeups, but not consistent enough. There’s some good fastballs in there, but not consistent enough to put hitters away.
“And also, you can see it taking a toll on him. When I take him out of a game, you can just see the weight and the stress that he’s putting on himself. So I do think that getting him out of this environment is going to be beneficial. He’s going to come back, reset, recharged, and throwing the baseball the way we know he can.”
That version of Miller hasn’t been evident all season. He went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts as a rookie last season, averaging 99 mph on his four-seam fastball. That velocity has been down to 97.5 mph this year and Miller has had a much more difficult time missing bats since returning from the injured list. He has just nine strikeouts in his past four starts during which opposing hitters have batted .338 against him.
“Being able to finish off hitters when he has count leverage. Being able to command the baseball, certainly the fastball. And getting his changeup back to being a swing-and-miss pitch,” Roberts said when asked what would be signs that Miller is back to form. “Those are things front of mind. But you can tell. He’s laboring to get hitters out where when he’s right that’s just not the case.”
The decision to subtract Miller from the starting rotation comes at a time when that rotation is reeling. Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler are all on the IL with Clayton Kershaw just about to re-start his rehab assignment. The current rotation consists of three rookies (Gavin Stone, Landon Knack and Justin Wrobelski) and a veteran (James Paxton).
Over their last 10 games before Wednesday, the Dodgers’ starting pitchers allowed 45 runs in 44 innings on 61 hits including 12 home runs.
“Very,” Roberts said when asked how difficult it was to take a healthy starting pitcher out of the rotation at this point. “But it just speaks to the importance of Bobby and not trying to just throw him out there because he’s a capable arm when we know he is not performing the way he’s capable of performing. To sacrifice an arm, a guy who’s been here for his best interest, that’s what we’re doing. And it isn’t easy because we need healthy starting pitchers. But it just shows how much we value Bobby.”
SOMEWHERE IN FLORIDA
Right-hander Walker Buehler is trying to correct his own issues by working out at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida. According to Roberts, Buehler has been communicating with the Dodgers’ pitching coaches and is throwing bullpen sessions there.
Buehler had a 5.84 ERA in eight starts this season in his return from a second Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon repair. He went on the IL officially with a hip injury.
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“We don’t have a time of when he’s going to come back and start for us. Our hope is – obviously it’s going to be after the break, but I don’t really know when that is. I don’t,” Roberts said.
“My expectation is that there’s progress. But again, I can’t speak to the delivery or where he’s at.”
The idea of working at a facility outside the Dodgers’ organization was Buehler’s “and we’re supporting it,” Roberts said.
ALSO
Right-hander Ricky Vanasco was promoted from Triple-A to take Miller’s spot on the roster. Vanasco pitched two scoreless innings for the Dodgers earlier this year, his major-league debut. He had a 4.43 ERA with five saves for OKC.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Landon Knack, 1-2, 2.86 ERA) at Phillies (RHP Aaron Nola, 10-4, 3.48 ERA), Thursday, 3:05 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network, 570 AM