Miller to make next rehab start Thursday; Robles 'way ahead of schedule' in recovery
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SEATTLE -- The Mariners are nearing returns to two pieces who can take an already promising floor to the club’s post-Trade Deadline roster to an even higher level, as Bryce Miller and Victor Robles are each trending toward being activated from the injured list at some point in August.
Miller (right elbow inflammation) will make at least two more rehab starts at Triple-A Tacoma, the next coming Thursday at Cheney Stadium, while Robles (left shoulder dislocation) will begin a rehab assignment on Aug. 12, general manager Justin Hollander shared in a wide-ranging organizational injury update on Tuesday.
Miller’s next outing will be in the 65-pitch and/or five-inning range, which would put him in line to climb beyond the 80-pitch threshold the next time, around what clubs typically want to see before re-inserting a starter from the IL.
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“Best I’ve felt all year,” Miller said just before Hollander’s update at T-Mobile Park, where he rejoined the Mariners after twirling four scoreless innings and surrendering just one hit in his first rehab start on Friday for Tacoma.
Miller was optimistic that, from a workload standpoint, he’d be prepared to only make one more rehab start. But given that this is his second IL stint for the issue -- which is related to a bone spur in the back of his pitching elbow -- the Mariners want him to make at least two more.
“No matter how well it goes, and no matter how much Bryce begs for that to be the last one,” Hollander said.
Miller’s fastball averaged 96.4 mph (up 1.9 mph from his season average) and topped out at 97.6 mph on Friday, but he also generated whiffs on his slider, knuckle curve and splitter, striking out six of the 13 hitters he faced, with zero walks.
He said that there was no lingering pain in the area, which is where he received both a cortisone shot (after being placed on the IL the first time) and a platelet-rich plasma injection (after the second). Miller is expected to remain on a six-day routine, which could correlate to a return as soon as the end of Seattle’s upcoming road trip that runs through Aug. 20.
“His level of confidence and trust looked top of the scale,” Hollander said, “and that's just important for him to be able to repeat that a few times. But we feel great about where he's at right now.”
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Robles is further behind, but “way ahead of schedule,” Hollander said.
The leadoff man and spark plug right fielder will need 40 to 50 at-bats in the Minors before returning, but he continues to reach all of his benchmarks, which have included on-field batting practice and more aggressive fielding drills. Robles will see a mix of outfield action and days at designated hitter on the rehab assignment, which will most likely be at Tacoma.
The Mariners had been targeting a September return, but it’s becoming increasingly likely that he could be back before then.
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Other injury updates
- OF/1B Luke Raley (back spasm): Started a hitting progression on Tuesday and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, after landing on the IL last Wednesday.
- 2B Ryan Bliss (left biceps tear): Also ahead of schedule, and also in Seattle recovering, the Mariners aren’t ruling out a rehab assignment in September, after initially fearing he’d been lost for the season.
- RHP Gregory Santos (right knee): Had not thrown over a recent two-week period while dealing with a personal matter in the Dominican Republic, which will necessitate him to rebuild arm strength. Otherwise, there are no limitations from the cartilage cleanup he underwent in late April, and he could be back in September.
- RHP Trent Thornton (left Achilles tear): Underwent surgery on Monday after suffering the injury on Thursday and is eyeing a recovery of six to eight months.