Dodgers send Bobby Miller to IL in massive blow, but MRI provides silver lining

For the Los Angeles Dodgers, their pitching staff remains a pretty big question mark despite making a real attempt to address it this past offseason. Signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto could pay huge dividends this year despite the rocky start to his MLB career, and the Tyler Glasnow trade looks amazing at the moment, assuming he stays healthy. However, LA has lost so much from their rotation between injuries and free agency that those moves and other minor patchwork fixes still have the team in a tenuous position.

As a result, the last thing they needed was another injury. Walker Buehler is close to coming back and Clayton Kershaw will hopefully be back this summer, but their depth is very thin in the meantime, and hoping that two guys coming off major injuries to carry the load the rest of the way may be wishful thinking.

Unfortunately, Dodgers fans are going to have to cross their fingers and toes, because one of the guys that they were counting on, Bobby Miller, was placed on the injured list, along with recently acquired reliever Connor Brogdon. Miller is dealing with shoulder inflammation, while Brogdon is battling plantar fasciitis.

Dodgers News: Bobby Miller, Connor Brogdon to the injured list in blow to pitching staff

Losing Miller for any length of time is far from ideal. While Miller has had an uneven start to his big league career, he has big time strikeout stuff, and many expected him to take a big step forward in 2024 to become a potential frontline starter for the Dodgers. In his three starts this season, Miller has posted a 5.40 ERA with 18 strikeouts in just 11.2 innings of work.

Shoulder injuries are particular spooky, as they are often far more difficult to come back from than elbow injuries when they are serious. It is especially scary when one thinks about the fact that Miller dealt with shoulder issues last spring training that kept him off the mound. The good news is that an MRI on Miller's shoulder came back clean of any serious concerns, even though it does seem likely that the Dodgers will be cautious with Miller either way.

Between the loss of Miller from the rotation and Brogdon from the bullpen, LA finds themselves in a real pickle. Right now, the current thinking is that the Dodgers will rely on Ryan Yarborough either as a full-on starter or as an opener, if LA decides to go the bullpen game route. He is already built up to throw multiple innings and has starting experience, so it is a good, if imperfect fit.

To fill Miller and Brogdon's spots on the roster, the Dodgers are calling up JP Feyereisen and Nick Ramirez to beef up their bullpen while LA contemplates their next moves. Neither Feyereisen nor Ramirez are off to banner starts in the minor leagues in 2024, but both have at least found success in the big leagues and will hopefully buy the Dodgers time while they contemplate their next steps.

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