This was not the encore Bobby Miller had in mind.
Last year, the hard-throwing right-hander and first-round draft pick emerged as a breakout rookie in the Dodgers rotation.
He posted an 11-4 record and 3.76 ERA, establishing himself in the big leagues with a triple-digit fastball and fiery, competitive mindset. He earned a spot on the postseason roster, serving as the Game 2 starter in the sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. And, most of all, he looked like a potential star in the making, entering this season with sky-high expectations and tantalizing potential.
“He’s a big part,” manager Dave Roberts said early this season, “of what we’re trying to do this year.”
On Wednesday, however, Miller’s dreadful sophomore campaign essentially ended with a whimper.
After going 2-4 with an 8.52 ERA in 13 starts, including a two-inning, four-run outing against the lowly Miami Marlins on Tuesday night, the 25-year-old was optioned to triple-A Oklahoma City, all but ending an inconsistent and injury-plagued season that never came close to getting off the ground.
Right-hander Michael Grove also was optioned, and Joe Kelly was activated off the injured list, Roberts said before Wednesday’s game.
“Performance at this point and time of the year is everything,” Roberts said after Tuesday’s game, which left Miller with the worst ERA in the majors among pitchers with 50 innings. “We’ve certainly given him opportunities to right the ship.”
But Miller never could turn the corner, leaving both him and the Dodgers frustrated and confused.
“There’s some block there that we unfortunately haven’t been able to break through this year,” Roberts said. “For a guy that has cut his teeth [in the majors], that shouldn’t be the way it is.”
The list of reasons for Miller’s regression had grown almost too long to count.
There was an early-season shoulder injury that sidelined Miller for two months, sapping the momentum he built in a dazzling 11-strikeout gem in his season debut. When he returned from the IL, there were flaws in his mechanics that necessitated a minor-league reset shortly before the All-Star break, with the pitcher spending most of July and August with Oklahoma City.
When Miller rejoined the Dodgers again last month, a nagging knee injury created further complications, preventing him from looking completely settled down the stretch.
And on Tuesday night, the mental strain Miller’s struggles had created became evident on the mound, when he acknowledged he shook off catcher Hunter Feduccia on multiple occasions when “I shouldn’t have.”
“That’s part of being a good major league pitcher, or consistent player; you got to know how to evaluate yourself,” Roberts said. “And when you’re shaking to wrong pitches, you’re just decreasing margin of error. So I think sometimes he feels like he can do certain things that clearly he can’t right now.”
Indeed, unlike last year, Miller’s command was nowhere near as sharp this season, leading to a rate of 4.8 walks per nine innings that was more than double last year’s mark. As a result, Miller constantly was pitching behind in counts, enabling opponents to attack his high-velocity, but hardly deceptive fastball. After giving up just 12 home runs in 124 innings last year, he yielded 17 in 56 this season.
“It’s pretty easy to hit a heater when you’re looking for it,” Miller said. “Any major leaguer can really do that. At the end of the day, you’re not going to have much success when you’re working behind in the count.”
Given the uncertain state of the Dodgers’ 2025 rotation — which is lined up to include Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and a stable of other starters coming back from injuries — Miller still could be a key piece of the club’s long-term plans.
Following Tuesday’s outing, he vowed to “be working harder than I ever have to come out of this.”
“There is no doubt in my mind, whenever that may be, I’m going to be back better than I ever have,” he added.
But this season, Miller never could get there, squandering one opportunity after the next to solidify himself in the banged-up pitching staff.
“To be frank, I think it is mental,” Roberts said. “I think he feels good physically. I think in ‘pens, in side sessions, it’s been a lot better than it has been in the game. With that, there’s a mental component or a lack of confidence.”
And in the end, it led to a monumental step back — one no one around the team, and certainly not Miller himself, ever expected.