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Shelby Miller took one step closer to making his Milwaukee Brewers debut on Tuesday when the team assigned him to Triple-A Nashville to begin a rehab assignment.
Miller last pitched on July 5 for the Arizona Diamondbacks before going on the injured list with a forearm strain. The Diamondbacks dealt him and pitcher Jordan Montgomery to Milwaukee at the trade deadline for a player to be named later or cash.
“We're able to maintain prospect capital and access a really good player,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said at the time, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “So we think that's a great outcome.”
The move was an attempt on Arizona's part to dump Montgomery's contract as he sits on the 60-day IL recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Brewers will pay $2 million of the $7.1 million remaining on his deal, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Miller, for his part, came to the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal and is making just $1 million this season — an utter steal, first for Arizona and now for Milwaukee.
With the Brewers holding a three-game lead over the Chicago Cubs entering play on Tuesday, the team is hoping that Miller will bolster their league-average bullpen down the stretch — one that, admittedly, already had plenty of depth. In 37 appearances with the Diamondbacks before his injury, Miller had a 1.98 ERA and 0.963 WHIP. The 34-year-old also owns a 28 percent strikeout rate and 10 saves.
As a team, the Brewers rank 16th in baseball with a 3.99 bullpen ERA, but are also seventh in total strikeouts. When Miller returns, he will join a Milwaukee bullpen anchored by closer Trevor Megill (2.13 ERA, 25 saves). Miller will immediately become one of the Brewers relievers with the best control, averaging just 2.7 walks per nine innings this season.
A journeyman reliever, Miller is no stranger to the NL Central. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, and also spent time with the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates.
