LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers swapped relievers in the bullpen on Saturday, activating Bobby Miller from the 60-day injured list with Kyle Hurt getting optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The timing of the move helps provide a lesson in timing and roster planning with just over three weeks remaining in the regular season.
The immediate need is available arms to cover Sunday and Monday’s games. Sunday was an open spot in the rotation already on the nine-game homestand, and Monday opened up after Eric Lauer
was placed on the injured list after his start last Tuesday. Justin Wrobleski, who pitched two innings on Tuesday, will be available for bulk innings on Sunday against the Nationals. Miller will be potentially available Sunday as well up to around 50 pitches if needed if he doesn’t pitch on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.
Miller began the season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, and also dealt with a back injury this season. During his rehab assignment for Triple-A Oklahoma City, Miller put up a 3.86 ERA in seven games, with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 14 innings. His last two outings were exactly one inning, but his first five games with the Comets were between two and three innings, and ranged from 44-50 pitches.
“I feel like my stuff has played up a little bit better [in relief], but being in attack mode just all the time is really a mindset out there,” Miller said Saturday. “Try to get ahead of every single hitter, not get in a ton of 3-2 counts, just try to get the hitter out as best you can.”
Whether Miller is even an upgrade over Hurt is at least debatable, as at least one Dodgers reliever was surprised to see Hurt in street clothes with a travel bag packed walking out of the clubhouse on Saturday. But Miller is more likely than Hurt to provide length, and the fresh arm express isn’t always fair.
On Monday the Dodgers will call up another pitcher to start against the Cincinnati Reds, and Emmet Sheehan remains the leading candidate for that call.
30 days were up
Miller started his rehab assignment on August 5, which meant Thursday was his 30th day on rehab, the longest allowed for pitchers while on the injured list. Barring a setback or another injury, that’s the point at which the team must activate the pitcher off the IL, whether adding him to the active roster or option him.
Ben Casparius was in a similar situation last week, but hadn’t pitched since August 19, and was shut down with arm fatigue. Same for Gavin Stone, who’s 30th day on rehab was on Friday, but he hasn’t pitched since August 25 and is dealing with a biceps issue per Jack Harris of the California Post. So they remain on the 60-day injured list and will likely remain there the rest of the season.
“Just getting him to stay upright and stay healthy is a win for 2026,” Roberts said Wednesday of Stone, who last pitched in the majors in 2024. “Is there a chance he could impact us at some point in time in September? Possibly. I just don’t know that answer.”
Miller though was healthy, and joined the team on taxi squad on Friday until they determined when he would actually get called up. While the Dodgers could have activated him from the injured list and optioned him to remain with Oklahoma City, the baseball calendar comes into play here. The final day of the regular season is September 27, and had the Dodgers optioned Miller now and he remained in the minors, he’d have burned up his third and final option season, having used options in 2024 and 2025. But by calling him up now, if Miller can stick around until at least Wednesday, there won’t be the 20 days remaining in the season for him to exhaust an option year, whether he gets sent down past then or not.
That would keep Miller as a more functional depth piece on the roster going into 2027 if the Dodgers so choose.
Odd man out
Because Miller was on the 60-day injured list, the Dodgers needed a corresponding move to make room for him back on the 40-man roster. The axe fell on center fielder Alek Thomas, who was designated for assignment on Saturday, just four days after he was optioned as the Dodgers have turned to mostly Tommy Edman and some Kiké Hernández in center field for the next few weeks as they wait for Andy Pages to return from a broken hand.
Sure, this hurts the Dodgers center field depth in the short term, but most of their decision on Thomas was already made on Tuesday when he was sent to the minors. Thomas has already been on optional assignment well over 20 days this year so he will be out of options going into 2027. He was not long for the 40-man roster because of that lack of flexibility, and this just gets a head start on that, though Thomas could also clear waivers and potentially remain in the organization.
