When Will Bryce Miller Return From The Injured List? Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Bryce Miller has been a welcome addition to the Mariners’ pitching rotation. When staff ace Robbie Ray fell injured on opening day, a ripple of panic shook the Pacific Northwest. Miller’s arrival in Seattle helped negate the loss of one of their star pitchers and is giving fans a reason to be optimistic.

In his debut on May 2 at Oakland, Miller took a perfect game into the sixth inning and struck out 10 batters (a franchise record). Unfortunately, in his last start on June 30, he was forced to leave early due to a blister on his pitching hand. 

Fantasy managers who were able to snatch Miller off the waiver wire back in May are wondering about his status. How much longer will Miller be kept on the shelf? When he does return what kind of production can he provide?

Bryce Miller Injury Update

Blisters are a notoriously difficult injury for pitchers to treat. Pitchers who try to play them must make adjustments to tolerate the associated discomfort which can then hurt their stat line and the team. Leading up to his last start, Miller had had a bumpy June and now we may know why.

If Miller had a blister crop up at the end of May it would explain why he went from allowing four or fewer hits in each of his first five starts to the 11 he allowed on May 29 (in 4 2/3 innings pitched) and the eight he allowed on June 4 (2 1/3 IP). What at first looked like growing pains for the rookie might actually have been a result of playing through his pain. 

Miller was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 3 after it was clear he would not be able to make his next scheduled start. In spite of the nagging injury and early exit that spurred the IL stint, Miller was already throwing off flat ground during warmups five days later while the Mariners were still in Houston before the All-Star break.

Bryce Miller Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Manager Scott Servais said in comments on July 8 that Miller would rejoin the rotation after the All-Star break. The Mariners likely want their prized rookie back in the rotation as soon as possible to better their odds of staying in contention. If Miller is activated from the injured list on July 16, when he is first eligible to return, he would get a sweet welcome back present in a start at home against the lowly Tigers. 

Bringing Miller back too soon could backfire, though. Dealing with recurring blisters can torpedo a pitcher’s season. Without sufficient time to heal, the blister will be back and we will see the same yo-yo effect on his production as we did at the end of May and June. If Miller bounces back in his next starts fantasy managers in redraft leagues can capitalize by shopping the pitcher and avoid the risk of inconsistency or another trip to the IL.

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