The Oakland Athletics will probably be with out All-Star nearer Mason Miller for the foreseeable future. Miller was positioned on the 15-day injured record with a damaged pinky in his left hand, the group introduced. Supervisor Mark Kotsay advised reporters Thursday that Miller suffered the harm when he “type of pounded his fist down on a padded desk out of emotion” following Monday’s win over the Houston Astros (OAK 4, HOU 0).
“We have all been there, carried out that,” Kotsay stated. “Sadly, it resulted in a fracture in his non-pitching hand in his left hand the place his pinky space is.”
Miller appeared in Monday’s sport and was terrific. He threw 11 pitches, averaged 101.4 mph together with his fastball, and retired all three batters with out incident. It was a stress-free outing.
Miller, 25, has a 2.21 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings this yr. He’s 15 for 17 in save possibilities. The shortage of saves clearly has extra to do with the A’s being 41-63 on the season, not one thing that’s Miller’s fault. He is been excellent and has often labored in non-save conditions (like Monday) simply to keep away from going too lengthy between outings.
Given his efficiency and high-octane stuff, Miller is incessantly talked about as a commerce candidate main as much as the July 30 deadline, although the A’s are stated to be in search of an infinite return. We ranked him because the No. 7 commerce candidate. Here is the write-up:
Each summer season, we waste tons of of phrases explaining why a non-contender ought to commerce their hotshot reliever with years upon years of group management remaining. Relievers are fickle, we observe, so get what worth you may earlier than their success proves fleeting. Groups by no means do it. Whether or not it’s David Bednar, Justin Lawrence, or too many others to record, they maintain onto their relievers — after which, in some unspecified time in the future within the near-future, they watch as their numbers fade and their worth crashes. Will that occur with Miller? We positive hope not. The truth is, although, that MLB’s hardest throwing pitcher (his fastball has clocked in at 100.8 mph on common) has been so hamstrung by harm that he is thrown simply over 100 skilled innings since being drafted in 2021. Does that sound just like the type of profile that is constructed to final? Once more, hopefully Miller finds a approach; his specific model of pyrotechnics makes him one of the vital thrilling watches within the sport. From a roster-management perspective, nonetheless, it feels sensible for the A’s to pursue a commerce this summer season.
Gamers on the injured record will be traded and, frankly, this harm makes Miller no much less fascinating to potential commerce companions. It is a damaged pinky on his non-pitching hand. It isn’t his elbow, it isn’t his shoulder, nothing like that. Miller could keep put as a result of the A’s desire a huge return. It will not be as a result of groups don’t desire him after this harm. That is nothing.
Setup man Lucas Erceg, a commerce candidate himself, is prone to step into the nearer’s position throughout Miller’s absence. The A’s have collection arising towards the San Francisco Giants (July 30-31) and Los Angeles Dodgers (Aug. 2-4). They will not make the postseason themselves, however they might give groups within the race just a few complications over the subsequent week or two.
