D-Backs' Miller to make 1st start since Tommy John surgery Monday
After over a year on the sidelines, Shelby Miller is ready to return to the mound.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will activate Miller from the 60-day disabled list on Monday when he'll start against the Miami Marlins in what will be his first outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May.
The 27-year-old returned to competitive action earlier this month, appearing in four rehab starts split between Double-A Jackson and High-A Visalia. He posted a combined ERA of 4.66 with a 1.345 WHIP and 28 strikeouts across those outings and struck out 10 through 6 2/3 innings in his final tune-up with Visalia this past Saturday.
"Not assuming my first one back (in the Majors) is going to be perfect," Miller told reporters, including Steve Gilbert of MLB.com on Thursday after he re-joined the Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. "Command was the last thing for me to come back, but I think that's there right now. I feel good. Everything out of the stretch and out of the windup feels solid. I think I'm in a good place overall. I wouldn't be here if everyone didn't think I was ready to pitch here."
Arizona acquired the 2015 Atlanta Braves All-Star before the 2016 season in what's become one of the more lopsided trades in recent memory. Since arriving in the desert Miller has pitched in just 24 big-league games while compiling a 5.78 ERA and allowing nearly 11 hits per nine innings; his strikeout totals also dipped considerably from his pre-2016 norms, as he's averaging 6.6 strikeouts and four walks per nine in a D-Backs uniform.
Miller started just four games for Arizona in 2017, posting a 4.09 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 22 innings before undergoing the season-ending surgery.