Reports from Shannon Drayer and others in conversations with Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson revealed postgame Monday that RHP Bryce Miller will be placed on the 15-day injured list once again Tuesday, presumably retroactive to his previous start. The 26 year old was roughed up on Friday by the Angels in Anaheim, and reportedly did not respond with the hoped healing from a recent cortisone shot. RHP Logan Evans will be recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to make the start Tuesday.
The move is parts disappointing and relieving, albeit not in equal measure. Miller’s diagnosis of a bone spur in his elbow was disconcerting, as the injury is not one that meaningfully heals naturally. While it is fairly straightforward to address in surgery, the procedure requires ample rest and recovery time. Given what we’ve seen already from Miller, with rest and mitigating treatments yielding ineffective and diminished results, the surgeon’s knife may soon await.
The recall of Evans is a bittersweet one, but will afford some additional boons. Namely, by the nature of the rest cycle, Seattle is choosing to start Evans on Tuesday, pushing back Bryan Woo a day into the slot Miller had been slated for on Wednesday. While Woo has been the rotation’s leader this year, he’s still the least experienced member of the staff in terms of workload, and opportunities to afford him extra rest are welcome. Evans got touched up a bit in his lone Triple-A start since his 8 IP gem against the Nationals a couple weeks ago. Still, he’ll have at least a couple rounds in the rotation in all likelihood before Logan Gilbert gets the all clear to return.